


I've Got My Eye on You

by Fawn_Eyed_Girl



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Accidental Voyeurism, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Consensual Sex, F/M, Insecurity, Secret Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:09:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 30,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26939410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fawn_Eyed_Girl/pseuds/Fawn_Eyed_Girl
Summary: Taisho Inuyasha is counting the days until he can finish his degree, get the hell out of Tokyo, and start a new life in America. But then he notices a beautiful girl watching him in his history class, and can't help but be drawn to her, despite his fears of prejudice and perpetual disappointment.Higurashi Kagome is visiting Tokyo University after being accepted to their PhD program in history. She sits in on a class, and her attention is captured by the handsome, yet surly, hanyou sitting across from her. She spends the entire class captivated by him, and not the professor, and is determined to get to know him.What happens when the chase finally ends? Will the human and the hanyou finally see each other through new eyes?
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome/InuYasha
Comments: 104
Kudos: 160





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [C_Storm](https://archiveofourown.org/users/C_Storm/gifts).



> Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, or any of the characters from the manga and/or anime.
> 
> Hello everyone! This story is dedicated to C_Storm, a dear friend; I hope you like this, even just a little 💖
> 
> The I've Got My Eye on You playlist is available on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2nvkifgMlodI2xwKquFwfe?si=mf_88prAT2mU0IxNEBqT4A)\--be sure to check it! I had a lot of fun making this little trip down memory lane, and I hope you all have fun listening to it, too.
> 
> And now, please enjoy!
> 
> And a very special thank you to [NeutronStarChild](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeutronStarChild), [Ruddcatha](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ruddcatha), and [gribedli](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gribedli) for all your comments on this _entire_ story. I am so grateful, and thank you!

[ ](https://hopidoodle.tumblr.com/post/634229619418185728/you-know-taisho-kun-she-said-her-eyes)

Commissioned Artwork by [hopidoodle](https://hopidoodle.tumblr.com/)

* * *

“—And the university will also provide you with a small stipend, to help with living expenses, as well as health insurance, if you don’t want to use the national health insurance, as well as a full tuition waiver.”

Kagome snapped herself to attention and tried not to look too bored. This was the fourth school she had been to in the past two weeks, and every single time, the campus tour, the promise of a stipend, of a tuition waiver (for exploitative labor, but whatever)...it was all the same. But this was her PhD. Her final degree. The thing she’d been working toward her entire life. And she didn’t want to fuck up her decision. 

Hashimoto-sensei, a kind-looking middle-aged woman with graying hair that was carefully tied back into a bun, kept up a steady stream of chatter as they walked down the hall. Kagome found the professor charming, certainly, but it wasn’t charming she was looking for. It was a rigorous curriculum, and the chance to work with some of the top historians in the field. She was about to visit a class taught by one of them: Tanaka Midoriko, expert on Shintoism and spiritualists. Kagome had read all of Tanaka-sensei’s work, and was beyond excited to sit in on a class with her.

When they reached an unassuming, large, heavy oak door, Hashimoto-sensei pushed the door open, and allowed Kagome inside. The room was a large, comfortable, conference-style room, with a massive round table and at least fifteen chairs populating the edges. There was a lectern with a computer setup, a projector, a blackboard, and a projector screen. The room was definitely a more comfortable classroom than others Kagome had seen on her campus visits. The thing that sealed it for her, though, was the rows of bookshelves that lined three out of the four walls. Kagome’s eyes lit up; she couldn’t help it. She just _knew_ that, if she were ever bored in class here, she could pass the time looking at all the different book titles and imagining the content. Maybe at some point, she would be able to do so.

Most of the classrooms Kagome had visited were very traditional. But she also knew that Tokyo University was NOT a typical place for graduate students. She might...she might like it there. 

“You can sit here,” Hashimoto was saying, “and when Tanaka-sensei comes in, she’ll want to know who you are. I can wait with you, if you want.”

Kagome shook her head. “I’ll be fine, Hashimoto-sensei,” she said simply. “But I appreciate you looking out for me.”

“I’ll be back for you when class is over,” she said with a wave of her hand. “See you soon, Higurashi-san.”

Hashimoto-sensei left Kagome alone in the room. Honestly, Kagome had been waiting for a moment like this. She needed to be alone, to get a feel for the place—to gauge how she would feel about calling Tokyo U’s History Department home for the duration of her graduate studies. She needed to feel as though she _fit_ , not just that this was the best or only option. If she was going to give up the next five years of her life to earn this degree, she wanted to make sure it was the right place.

As Kagome sat, taking in the room, thinking carefully about her options, the students began to trickle in, a few at a time. They all seemed to know each other, and they all seemed to be friendly. Several of them smiled at her, albeit confusedly, then took their seats. A tall, willowy woman with long dark hair sashayed into the room, and immediately began setting up at the computer lectern. That alone suggested she was the professor, but Kagome knew immediately. She would know Tanaka Midoriko anywhere.

Kagome jumped to her feet and strode across the room. _You can do this_ , she told herself. _You can do this. You can totally talk to her._

“Tanaka-sensei?” she said, a little bit of trepidation seeping into her voice. “I’m Higurashi Kagome. I’m here to observe class. I’ve been accepted to the History PhD program.”

Tanaka-sensei’s face broke out into a warm smile. “Welcome, Higurashi-kun,” she said kindly. “I hope that you will enjoy my class, and please feel free to stay afterwards to ask questions. Today we will be discussing the arrival of Buddhism and its impact on Shintoism.”

“That sounds like an amazing topic, Tanaka-sensei,” she said softly. “I’m so excited to see you teach.”

“Thank you, Higurashi-kun,” Tanaka-sensei said, surprised. “I don’t think I’ve _ever_ heard one of my students say that.”

Kagome smiled. “Maybe I will get to be one of your students,” she replied, “and then I will get to tell you every day.” She turned and tried to make her way back to her seat, but it was already occupied. So she looked around the table, and saw one seat open towards the back of the room. Not ideal, but it would do. Kagome worked her way to the end of the table, and slipped into her seat. She pulled a notebook out of her backpack, and a pen. If she was going to sit in on a class with Tanaka Midoriko, she was going to soak up every little bit of information she could. 

“All right, everyone,” said Tanaka-sensei, drawing the class’ attention. “I’d like to introduce you to Higurashi Kagome, who is here visiting us from…”

“...Waseda University,” Kagome supplied.

“Waseda University,” Tanaka-sensei continued. “She has been accepted to our PhD program, and is here visiting today. Please do your best to welcome her and to show her that we are an excellent program for her to choose.” Tanaka-sensei flashed Kagome a smile, and then began her lecture.

Kagome gripped her pen tightly and began to take copious notes on Tanaka-sensei’s lecture. It was...fascinating. Kagome had read books about the arrival of Buddhism in Japan, but to hear Tanaka-sensei talk about the Chinese monks, the early shrines, it was all...so fascinating. Her pen scratched frantically over the page, trying to capture every word. And Tanaka-sensei’s voice was sonorous, a lovely alto that danced over the words in her presentation. Kagome thought: she could have basked in the tone of Tanaka-sensei’s voice forever. 

_Yes_ , she thought, _she would really like to go to school here_.

And then, she saw it, so fast that she almost missed it. A flash of silver against the fluorescent lights of the room. Kagome’s eyes swiveled around frantically. Where had the light come from?

Her eyes traveled over the other students, and came to settle on one in particular.

A young man, with a deeply tanned, but scowling, face, sat with his arms crossed, not even paying attention to Tanaka-sensei. His long silver hair was loose and flowed down his back. His golden eyes looked impossibly bored.

_A...a youkai? Here?_

And then Kagome saw them. His ears.

His beautiful, adorable, fluffy, sitting-right-on-the-top-of-his-head puppy dog _ears_.

 _Holy fuck_. This man was a _hanyou_.

Kagome had heard of hanyou before. They were the products of human and youkai relationships, and often had very different markers from regular youkai. One look at this man, and Kagome knew exactly what he was. And she had to admit: she was _fascinated_.

His face was surly, but he was also _beautiful_ : his eyes were a gorgeous almond shape; his nose was strong and perfect, and his mouth—his mouth! He was scowling, yes, but there was one fang peeking out and pressing into his lower lip, just a tiny bit. Kagome’s eyes could suddenly look nowhere else but this man who had captured her attention so fully, and so quickly.

Now only half-listening to Tanaka-sensei, Kagome allowed herself to carefully examine the hanyou sitting across from her. He was obviously well-muscled, his biceps straining against the sleeves of his red t-shirt. His forearms, crossed in front of his chest, were massive. She couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like to be clasped in his arms. 

And then his eyes—oh, gods, his _eyes_! Kagome found herself blushing a little when she thought about his eyes. They were a deep amber color, and caught the reflection of the overhead lights, making them glow. They were thus bright, but also...Kagome could detect a hint of anger there, a hint of sadness, and it made her feel like she wanted to give him a hug, and perhaps even play with his ears? Something—anything—to make him feel better.

And then, his eyes made contact with hers, and Kagome almost let out a little yelp. The look he gave her—curious, yes, but also sad, and it made her heart squeeze a little bit. He dropped his eyes and looked away from her, and back to Tanaka-sensei. And Kagome couldn’t be sure, but she thought— _hoped_ —that maybe he was continuing to peek back at her?

The rest of the class passed in a blur. Kagome forgot to take notes; she forgot to say thank you to Tanaka-sensei for letting her observe the class. Her heart was beating wildly out of rhythm; she’d never seen anyone like him. 

All she could do the entire class period was stare at the handsome hanyou across from her, and wonder: if she went to Tokyo U in the fall, would he be there? And if he were there, would she be able to talk to him?

Kagome didn’t know. But she sure as hell was going to try.

* * *

He was running late. So fucking late. 

Fucking _again_.

Inuyasha barreled up the steps of the humanities building, his backpack threatening to fall off his shoulders. Early Japanese History was not his favorite class—he was a PhD student in history, yes, but his specialization was American HIstory, not Japanese—and he hated the fact that there were all these damn requirements for him to get a PhD, and they weren’t even in his fucking area of expertise!

Inuyasha took the stairs to the third floor two at a time, shoving his way through the throngs of undergraduates who were most likely finishing up for the day. Inuyasha wished _he_ was finishing up his day, but _nope_. He had class with fucking Tanaka Midoriko, the top Japanese History scholar at their university and a total fucking dictator about arriving to class on time. He just hoped he didn’t get chewed out too much.

Inuyasha flung open the door to the graduate conference room and threw himself inside. He fully expected Tanaka-sensei to reprimand him for his tardiness, as she usually did, but this time, he saw she was enthusiastically talking to a young woman, whose face he could not see, but whose long dark hair hung down her back in (what Inuyasha thought were) delicious waves. He wanted to stop and see her face, but if she was distracting Tanaka-sensei, well...then who was he to complain? He slipped quietly around the room, ignoring the stares from his classmates, and positioned himself in a seat fairly far from the front. Because that’s how he liked it: far away from the professor, so that there was less of a chance he would have to contribute to class discussion. Not because he couldn’t hold his own—he could waste at least three-quarters of the idiots in the room with his knowledge of Japanese history, and he could positively crush them with his knowledge of American history—but because he just didn’t like to have the attention drawn to himself.

Once he was in his seat, and once his books and his pens were at the ready, he noticed that the girl who had been talking to Tanaka-sensei was gone. He shot his eyes quickly around the room; a soft, yet unfamiliar scent, assuaged him. He followed his nose to a seat almost directly from him, and there she was. She smelled of vanilla, and orange, and maybe something else, a little gingery? He wasn’t totally sure, but it was delicious. 

And her face, and her body? Equally delicious.

Inuyasha had been right about that blue-black hair; it was thick, and glorious, and tumbled about her shoulders in an unruly, seductive, way. She had lustrous eyes (what color were they, exactly? Blue? Gray? Inuyasha couldn’t tell) that were gazing at Tanaka-sensei with something akin to adoration. Her heart-shaped face drew to a pointed chin, right above which sat two full, petal-pink lips. He couldn’t see much of her body while she was seated, but she had glorious breasts, from what he could tell—and they were resting delicately on the table top, as though she had no idea they were even there. He leaned forward slightly in his anticipation, and hoped to catch more of her scent, or perhaps the sound of her voice, or…

“All right, everyone,” said Tanaka-sensei, and Inuyasha immediately whipped his head around to offer his professor his full attention. “I’d like to introduce you to Higurashi Kagome, who is here visiting us from…”

“...Waseda University,” the young woman—no, _Kagome_ —supplied.

“Waseda University,” Tanaka-sensei continued, but Inuyasha wasn’t listening. _Her name. Her name was Kagome. And she was...beautiful_. 

It was nearly impossible for him to pay attention for the rest of the lecture. Inuyasha sat with his arms crossed, a faint scowl on his face, that he had to be here to begin with, but that _she_ was over there...with that scent, and those eyes, and that hair. He kept one eye and one ear on Tanaka-sensei’s presentation, yes, but his other eye (and his other ear) stayed trained on the young woman across from him. She was taking copious notes, and was completely attuned to everything Tanaka-san was saying. Inuyasha could help but scoff a little. What was so great about Tanaka-sensei, anyway? _Anyone_ could get a PhD in Japanese history. That he was doing American history...that set him apart, he thought.

And then a damn annoying flea bit him on the arm, and he swatted at it, whipping his hair around in his frustration. He was pretty sure he got it, but as he settled back down, he detected a shift in the scent across the way from him. He carefully, slowly, arched an eyebrow and turned one eye towards her.

And _holy fuck_ , she was looking at him.

Inuyasha froze. _No one_ ever looked at him. _No one_ ever paid him any mind. But yet, here was this girl, this girl who had shown up in their classroom, who had saved him from being called out for attendance in front of the class _again_ , who was the most gorgeous thing he’d ever seen, and had the most inviting scent he’d ever detected. 

_And she was looking at him_.

Why?

Was it because….?

 _No_ . He pushed that thought out of mind. She wouldn’t. She _couldn’t_. 

The only people who ever stared at him were people who didn’t like him. Were people who wanted him gone. Who didn’t think that he was anyone worth anything. 

Could _she_ be one of those people? 

He fucking hoped not. 

But she was staring at him again! And dammit, he couldn’t _not_ pay attention to Tanaka-sensei. But he needed to know. How did this girl feel about him? Her scent was...neutral, with maybe a hint of ginger? But that couldn’t be directed at him.

Inuyasha took a deep breath and turned his gaze to hers. Immediately she blushed and dropped her eyes, and it was all Inuyasha could to keep from growling as he did the same.

Because when people dropped their eyes and stopped looking at him, they felt guilty. They felt like they had been caught doing something bad. Because they had.

They’d been caught staring at the hanyou.

When Tanaka-sensei dismissed class, Inuyasha grabbed his belongings and ran. He ran down the stairs, back out the building, and around to the building’s far side, where he could be alone.

There, he let out a loud growl. Why did the most beautiful, most perfect girl in the world have to be a youkai hater? 

_Fucking why_?

He wished that Higurashi Kagome had never come to his early Japanese history class.

* * *

The annual introductory party at Hashimoto-sensei’s house was one that Inuyasha would have rather avoided than any other event of the year. He was generally fine with hitting the bar after class, maybe playing some pool or some darts (alone, of course, and with people he didn’t know, obviously)...but when it came to socializing with a bunch of newbies that he didn’t even know, he just couldn’t fucking stand it. He had tried to get out of the party twice before, and twice before it had been “suggested” to him that it would “look bad” if he didn’t show up. So he did: he showed up, he had a beer, he brought some fucking mochi or some sweet shit like that. He talked to Hashimoto-sensei, and to any other faculty that might be there, and then he would get the fuck out as fast as he could.

This year, he felt a nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach. He couldn’t figure out why; he just knew that if he went to this party, it was going to be annoying and sad, and he hated annoying and sad. Tonight, all he wanted was to stay in his apartment, play video games, and maybe order a couple of pizzas to satiate him.

But, Hashimoto-sensei had called him _personally_ , and he knew that he couldn’t say no to her.

The party was already hopping when Inuyasha showed up, mochi plate in one hand, a twelve-pack of beer in the other. He knew that the other students would be arriving in groups; Inuyasha preferred to arrive alone, so he could also leave alone. He liked to be in charge; he liked to dictate his own schedule and what he was going to do, when, and how. So, he had decided: he would show up at Hashimoto-sensei’s, and he would exchange pleasantries, and then he would get the fuck out.

 _Yes_ , he decided. _Yes_. He would decide when he would arrive, and he would decide when he would leave.

And now, he had arrived.

Hashimoto-sensei’s house was not large, but it was cozy, and when one added all of the people from the program—the graduate students and the faculty—the house was practically bursting at the seams. And even though he hated crowds, Inuyasha kind of liked it this way? Because he could slip in, and slip out, unobserved and unannounced. He could make his way in, see Hashimoto-sensei and Kaita-sensei, if his mentor (who also hated parties and people and was therefore a perfect match for him) was even there, and then make his way out.

Too bad that was not going to happen, because as soon as he entered that house on that overcast evening, he could smell it. A scent he had not inhaled in several months.

Inuyasha’s eyes searched the room; he cocked his ear to listen, then allowed his nose and his ears to guide him.

She was standing in the hallway, talking to another woman with hair pulled back in a ponytail and way too much pink eyeshadow. The woman must have said something funny, because Kagome threw her head back and laughed. Inuyasha’s heart stopped: her laugh was loud, and raucous, and he knew in an instant that he wasn’t going to be able to leave without talking to her. Even if she was horribly anti-youkai in her beliefs. 

_You don’t know that about her_ , he told himself sharply. _But maybe...tonight is the night to find out._

And then Higurashi Kagome’s head turned, and she saw him looking at her. She blushed and turned her head. Inuyasha let out a soft growl. 

_So that’s how it was, huh?_

The rage building in his belly was spreading out to the rest of his body, through his limbs. He pulled himself up to his full height—a fairly impressive six feet four inches—and strode over to her. He would normally _never_ do this, but her beauty, her scent, and his rage made for a fearful combination.

“...And I’m really excited to get to take class with Tanaka-sensei this semester,” Kagome was saying to the girl standing with her as Inuyasha stalked up to them. “She is just such an amazing teacher, and scholar, and I’m beyond honored to get to work with her!”

“I know,” the girl said back, “But I have to say that Hashimoto-sensei is the one that I really want to work with. Her work on the Sengoku Jidai is internationally known!”

“Only Japanese historians over here, huh?” Inuyasha smirked, a fang dipping below his lip as he stared openly at them. Kagome and the other girl blinked, then jumped to attention. Inuyasha was pretty sure that Kagome was blushing, but it could have been from the alcohol—the beer brand in her hand was quite strong.

Kagome’s eyes grew wide, and her scent shifted to something...delicious. Like her citrusy vanilla scent now had ginger in it, too. Like last time. Inuyasha frowned. What was happening to her scent? And _why_?

“Ye—Yes,” Kagome squeaked out. Inuyasha’s eyes grew a little wide; she definitely didn’t hate him, but she also definitely didn’t know what to think of him. 

“I’m Midori Sango,” said the other girl smoothly, bobbing her head respectfully, “and this is—”

“—Higurashi Kagome,” Inuyasha said, “I know.”

“How—how do you know?” she stammered, then paused, recognition flooding her face. “Tanaka-sensei’s class last year,” she said, “you sat across from me.” And then she smiled: a massive, brilliant smile, and he instantly relaxed. 

_A woman who was anti-youkai wouldn’t smile at him like that, would she? Would she? Or was that smile just an act—just like all the other smiles he’d seen in his life?_

Now it was Inuyasha’s turn to be nervous. “I—I did sit across from you,” he said. He smirked. “And I saw you taking all those notes. Pretty sycophantic for someone just visiting a class.”

Kagome flushed hotly. “I happen to be a big fan of Tanaka-sensei’s work…”

“Taisho. Taisho Inuyasha,” he said when she looked at him, confused. 

“Taisho Inuyasha-kun,” she continued, now with a slightly strangled look on her face. “I think that we should all be so lucky to take class with her, don’t you think?”

She had him there. Tanaka-sensei was pretty fucking famous, even if he didn’t think that her work was all that (again, American history PhD candidate). But if she thought Tanaka-sensei was wonderful, then maybe he should agree? Try to get her to talk to him? Now that he was a little more sure that she didn’t mind he was hanyou? He looked at Kagome, his ears swiveled so that they faced only her. She saw his ears move, and her entire face lit up, a massive smile crossing from ear to ear. It was _glorious_ , and Inuyasha felt his heart beating erratically. 

What was this feeling inside? Why couldn’t he string words together? Why was she so fucking beautiful?

Maybe, just maybe...if she smiled at him like that, if her _scent_ changed to something delightful and intoxicating when she looked at him… then maybe getting to know her was a good place to start. 

If he could get out of his own fucking head and allow her in, of course. Because _that_ was the real fucking challenge, wasn’t it?

To trust her—to trust _himself_ —enough for that to happen.

* * *

Kagome was fixating. She totally knew this; she did. But when someone—or something—invaded her mind and her soul, it was hard for her to think about anything else.

She was in her first few weeks of her PhD program. She’d been through rigorous TA training; she started her classes; she’d even made some new friends among her colleagues. All was going well. 

Except for Taisho Inuyasha. Ever since the party, where she thought that maybe they were making some real progress, he had barely spoken to her. And _fuck_ , did she want to talk to him. The only problem was that they weren’t in any of the same classes, and since they were different years (she was first and he was third), they moved in different circles and were doing different things. Although, now that Kagome thought about it….

She wasn’t sure whether or not Inuyasha _had_ any friends. She never saw him with anyone when she was out socially; she never even saw him walking around campus with other people. Anytime she saw him, he was alone, and anytime he saw _her_ , he took one look at her and ran in the opposite direction (she was sure).

So it was swiftly becoming her mission to look for him, to get to know him. She was watching for him everywhere she went—long silver hair, bright golden eyes, and fluffy dog ears. It became like an obsession, since that incident at Hashimoto-sensei’s party the month before—find Taisho Inuyasha, talk to Taisho Inuyasha, convince Taisho Inuyasha to come hang out with her. 

But even the first one was proving to be difficult. How would she be able to talk to him, if she couldn’t even _find_ him?

She should have known: look in the least likely—or the most obvious—of places.

One morning about a month into the semester, Kagome was standing in line at the local coffee shop. She _needed_ coffee. She’d been up until after 3am the past few nights trying to finish up some major projects, and now that they were done, she was exhausted, and she still had two late afternoon classes to get through. Her emotions were raw and at the surface from lack of sleep. She hoped that coffee would help balance her out a bit, so that she could manage to not bite anyone’s head off (or cry hysterically) during class. At least she had the thought of drinks with Sango that evening to get her through the rest of the day.

Then someone jostled her in line from behind, and her temper flared. She was tired and crabby, and she needed caffeine, so whoever just bumped into her could go…

“Taisho-kun!” Kagome exclaimed, surprised to see the hanyou in the coffee shop. She had really only ever seen him at the humanities building, either inside, scuttling from class to class, or hanging around outside the building, his hands shoved in his pockets, looking either lost in thought, or just lost, his golden eyes haunted and scanning the crowds of college students around him.

“Hi—Higurashi,” he grunted, crossing his arms and looking away from her. She frowned.

“Are we not friends, Taisho-kun?” she asked. “I thought that after the party…” She lowered her eyes and turned away, back towards the front of the line. _Maybe I misinterpreted the situation after all_ , she thought. _Maybe...maybe he doesn’t like me, or want to get to know me, after all_.

Her shifting scent caused Inuyasha to look up. The vanilla and citrus, usually tinged with ginger, was tinged with something else...something deeper and darker…

 _Oh, FUCK_.

“Higurashi, wait,” Inuyasha said, reaching out and grabbing her gently by her bicep. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

Kagome whipped her head around and glared at him. Inuyasha bit back a self-deprecating growl. Her eyes were full of tears.

“It’s—okay,” she whispered, angry and blushing at having been caught. “Don’t do me any favors.”

 _Shit, shit, shit_.

“No, wait,” he said again, squeezing her arm. “I’m—I’m sorry.” He fought against every single instinct that was telling him to run. To run, because she was only going to hurt him in the end, that she was just like everyone else, that someday, he’d go to America, where he could start fresh, away from the anti-hanyou prejudices that ran bone-deep in Tokyo, and no one would ever hurt him again, that he would…

“Taisho-kun?” The small, soft voice snapped him back to reality. Inuyasha’s eyes flicked up to see Kagome’s, tears dripping slowly out of her beautiful, bluish-grayish eyes. 

“Here,” he said hurriedly, steering her towards the counter, “I’ll get you whatever you want.” _Just please stop fucking crying_.

“O—okay,” she sniffled, and looked at the barista, who gazed back at them, nonplussed. Although, Inuyasha noticed the tiniest narrowing of the barista’s eyes when she saw his ears.

“Iced—latte with caramel,” Kagome squeaked out. “A medium.”

“Cappuccino with an extra shot,” Inuyasha said. “The name’s Inuyasha.”

He paid for the drinks, and then took Kagome by the arm and led her over to the pick-up counter. “Why are you crying?” he hissed, leaning down to get in her face.

Kagome’s eyes flashed and she pulled away from him. “Because,” she hissed right back, “I thought you wanted to be _friends_ , and you’ve been totally ghosting me!”

Inuyasha’s mouth fell open. “W—wh— _what_?”

“Yes.” Kagome was getting worked up now. She had been—watching him—for weeks now. Trying to get close to him. Trying to make friends. But everytime he saw her, he literally ran in the opposite direction. There was no time for her to try; there was no way for her to get close. 

And _dammit_ , she wanted to! She thought he was beautiful, and sad, and maybe gruff, but also probably kind? He’d just bought her a coffee to get her to stop crying! Who did that? There had to be some kindness in there, somewhere! Why was he holding back?

“Here.” Inuyasha was holding out her latte. “While you were...doing whatever you were doing...our drinks got here.”

“Thanks.” She was being short, and slightly rude, but she couldn’t help it. He was _infuriating_.

“Let’s walk and talk, Higurashi,” Inuyasha said, jerking his head in the direction of the humanities building. Kagome huffed and followed him out, her face still scowling in frustration.

Inuyasha looked at the human girl beside him. She was...angry with him... he could scent her anger as much as her tears. But she wasn’t talking. She wasn’t telling him why. 

“You know that the barista thought I did something to you, back there,” Inuyasha said quietly. Kagome’s eyes flew open and she looked up at Inuyasha. He nodded. “Her eyes—you wouldn’t notice it, because you’re human, but...yeah. Her eyes...and her scent. It shifted. She was...angry, suspicious. You needed to stop crying. That’s why I told you I’d buy your coffee.”

“So the only reason you bought me a coffee is to make me stop crying?” _Oops._

“No, no no!” he exclaimed, his hands waving, his coffee sloshing around inside his cup. “I bought it because…” oh, fuck. Why did he buy it?

It _was_ to get her to stop crying. But it was also to…

“Because I wanted to,” he settled on at last. “Because I wanted to, and _fuck_ , I have wanted to, since the first time I saw you.” That was out now. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes slowly, and waited.

Kagome was stunned. He wanted to buy her coffee? He had from the first time they met? 

“I...I don’t understand,” she said. He could _hear_ the confusion in her voice, and _fuck_ , he was an idiot. “You...do you like me?”

Inuyasha let out a low growl. “You...you’re—” he didn’t know what to say. “You’re fine, Higurashi,” he settled on at last, not being able to find the right words to fully describe his feelings.

She smiled, and his heart did that weird beating-out-of-turn thing again. “I think you’re fine too,” she told him, her cheeks pinking slightly. 

Her phone buzzed, and she pulled it out to look at it. “It’s Sango,” she said, “I have to go.” Kagome blinked, then looked up at Inuyasha. “Will you come out with us tonight?”

“What?” It was the first time Inuyasha had been asked to do _anything_ and he...didn’t know quite what to say.

“Say yes, Taisho-kun,” said Kagome impatiently. 

“Yes?” he repeated blankly, golden eyes blinking at her.

Kagome flashed him a dazzling smile, and he felt a wave of...was it nausea? Something more pleasant, he was sure...washing over him. 

“Wonderful!” she exclaimed, and he blinked again, trying to figure out just what he had agreed to. “Sango and I have class until 8:30, and then we’re heading over to that izakaya by the park. Why don’t you meet us?”

She was so fucking beautiful. He was being pulled in—he could feel it—by those deep ocean eyes, those rose-petal lips, that heart-shaped face. He found himself nodding and saying, “Sure” in a voice that was too strained and too deep to be his. 

“Great!” she exclaimed, and she actually sounded happy he was going to do...what was he going to do?

“So, we’ll be there by 9:00,” Kagome was saying, and _was she holding his hand_? “But if you get there first just grab us a table. Oh!” and now she squeezed his hand before letting it go. She pulled out her phone. “I’m gonna text you my number so you can let me know if you’re running late or whatever.” She looked at him expectantly. He stared openly at her now. “Your number?” she said, a soft smile playing on her lips.

Inuyasha mumbled it out to her, and a few seconds later, he had a text.

“See you tonight, Taisho-kun!” she called out before heading into the building, leaving a gaping Inuyasha staring after her. It wasn’t until she went into the building that he realized he hadn’t even looked at the text she had sent. And when he saw iit, his breath started coming in short, quick gasps.

It read: _Inuyasha. I like you, too._

* * *

Inuyasha had never been early for anything in his whole goddamn life. No one had ever paid attention if he was awake or asleep, alive or dead, But now, Higurashi Kagome had said, _I like you, too_ , and he was having a hard time thinking about anything else. He had blown through his workout at the gym; he had both prepped the class he was teaching _and_ read for his own classes for the following week; he had even called his stupid half-brother and promised to send him an update on his studies. 

Some might say that Taisho Inuyasha was anxious or restless. And that might have been a little bit true, but in all honesty, he was really much more excited.

Because he’d never been asked to do anything, with anyone. He’d spent his entire existence tagging along after others, being rejected, being teased. The PhD program was one of the few places where he felt comfortable and free to be himself. He knew he was odd; he knew he was a little awkward; he knew that he wasn’t exactly the greatest guy in the world. He kept to himself; he did his work; he published; he taught. He had visions of getting a job in America and getting the fuck out of Tokyo—hopefully, the sooner, the better. He knew this would be hard; he really did. But he also knew that America was a place for him to start over, where his ears wouldn’t matter as much as his abilities. He’d be able to carve out a space for himself there. He was sure of it.

But now, Higurashi Kagome may have been causing a problem. 

In the past, he would have simply ignored her, or figured that she was making fun of him, or something. But her scent was too delectable and pure: he loved how she smelled of vanilla and citrus and ginger—and he found himself hoping that she only smelled like ginger for him. Just the thought of her made him rethink the whole “going to America to start over” concept; just the thought of her made him want to give up the escape plan that he’d held onto for so long.

Because—and he knew this was early, but goddammit, he couldn’t help it—he wanted to be with her. He wanted her, and he wanted to be with her. More than anything. 

More than a fresh start in America, perhaps even.

So all these thoughts brought him to the izakaya fifteen minutes early. Kagome had told him 9:00, but here it was, 8:45, and he was sitting at a table in the corner, trying to decide what to do. Should he order a beer? A pitcher for the table? Shots? What did someone do when they were at a bar with other people? He spent a fair amount of time at bars, yes, but this was his first time at a bar with people who had _invited_ him. With a _woman_ who had invited him.

Inuyasha whipped out his phone and stared at it. He looked at the text she had sent. _I like you_ , it read. Should he reply? What should he do?

 _I got here a little early_ , he found himself typing. _Let me know when you’re on your way, and I’ll order a pitcher of beer and some glasses_. His finger hovered the blue and white arrow. Should he send it? What if she didn’t respond?

Inuyasha closed his eyes, and pressed send. He still for a moment, keeping his eyes closed and counting to five. When he opened his eyes, he saw that she had already responded.

 _Beer would be amazing! Sango is bringing her “friend,” so we’ll be four_ 🙄 _We’ll be there in 5-10, depending on how fast we can walk_ 😂 ❤️

Inuyasha immediately raised his hand. “Excuse me!” he called out. When a nearby waitress raised her head, he beckoned her over. “Two pitchers of beer,” he said, “and four glasses. And an order of shumai, of karaage, the sushi combo plate, and some takoyaki.” The waitress gave him a funny look, but Inuyasha didn’t care. Instead, he kept all his senses trained on the door of the izakaya, watching, listening, scenting her. The second Higurashi Kagome walked into that izakaya, he would know.

Inuyasha didn’t have to wait even five minutes before the gentle scent of vanilla and citrus wafted into the bar. He wanted to bound over to her and say hello, but he restrained himself and instead ended up sitting up awkwardly, with what he was sure was a dopey smile plastered to his face. He probably looked like a dog wagging his whole butt when his favorite human appeared, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. His eyes scanned the crowd, waiting for her, and when he saw her, his heart literally stopped.

She was wearing the black jeans that she had on before, but this time, they were paired with a ribbed white tank top; she was wearing a black bra underneath and Inuyasha could see _everything_. Her blue-black hair was tied up in a high ponytail, with some curls hanging loose around her face. She had applied a little mascara and lip gloss, and he could see her face, cutely furrowed, scanning the izakaya. When she saw him, her face broke out into a wide, eager smile, and she waved frantically. He offered her a slow, awkward, fanged grin, and watched as she fought her way through the crowd to get to his side. 

“Taisho-kun!” she exclaimed, out of breath from jostling her way to him.

“Higurashi,” he grunted, unable to say anymore. 

She turned and gestured at two people behind her. Inuyasha looked up and saw Kagome’s friend...Sango?...and a saucy-looking male behind her.

“Taisho-kun,” Kagome said with a gentle smile, “you remember Midori Sango? And this is her friend, Kawashima Miroku.” 

Kawashima Miroku bobbed his head. “Nice to meet you,” he said to Inuyasha. “I’m Kawashima Miroku, English Department doctoral candidate.”

Inuyasha nodded in return. “Taisho Inuyasha,” he said. “History.” When he didn’t offer up any more information about himself, Miroku and Sango shrugged. 

“Should we sit?” asked Kagome, trying to break the awkward silence. She gently tugged on Inuyasha’s arm, and neither Sango nor Miroku missed how Inuyasha immediately tuned in completely to her. His ears focused entirely in her direction; his entire body stiff and on edge, waiting for her next command. When Kagome pulled him back to the table, Inuyasha followed, his eyes and ears still solely on her. Sango nudged Miroku, and Miroku nodded, grinning.

It seemed that the elusive, sour, and brilliant Taisho Inuyasha had fallen. Hard.

Inuyasha, meanwhile, had no idea he was being watched so closely. He simply followed Kagome’s every move, watching her intently, doing whatever she asked. When she slipped into the booth and pulled him down, he eagerly slid into the seat beside her. Then, when Miroku tried to do the same thing to Sango, Sango growled at him; he let go of her arm and she slid into the seat opposite Kagome, and Miroku took his seat gingerly beside her.

“I ordered drinks and food,” Inuyasha grunted again, his voice deep and barely audible above the din.

“Thank you, Taisho-kun,” replied Kagome, her eyes glowing, “for being so thoughtful.”

Inuyasha beamed. He was a total goner. 

* * *

The night passed quickly, and Kagome didn’t know when she had had such a good time. Inuyasha was quiet, and a little grouchy, but also kind of nice? He paid complete and total attention to her, and only her, all night. He made sure that her glass was never empty, that her plate was always full, and that she was always the center of his attention. In return, she found that she couldn’t stop touching him: a hand on his knee, under the table, or a light touch to the arm, a lean into his shoulder. He was strong, and warm, and she felt drawn to his heat. When he rested his arm along the back of the booth, she scooted in closer to him and rested up against his body, reveling in the hard lines of his chest.

She...she didn’t know why she was acting so forward. It wasn’t like her at all. But she’d been watching him, _for so long_ , and she’d been waiting for the moment to talk to him, _for so long_ , that now that he was so close to her, she couldn’t help but feel like he wasn’t close enough. His molten amber eyes pulled her in; his thick, strong body kept her there. Whether it was the beer, or the takoyaki, or the round of shots that Miroku bought, something just made her want to climb into his lap and bury herself in deep.

Kagome was so busy watching him, feeling him, and smelling him (like pine...how was that possible in the middle of Tokyo!), that she completely lost track of the time. When Sango commented that she needed to get going, because it was already close to 1, Kagome’s eyes snapped open and she looked at her friend in disbelief. 

“So late!” she exclaimed. “How...how will I get home?”

Inuyasha paused. Did he dare?

“Do you want Miroku and I to take you home?” Sango asked. “We’d be happy to walk you to your apartment.”

“It’s in the opposite direction, Sango,” Kagome said. “It’ll be fine. I’ll get a ride share.”

“Like hell you will,” growled Inuyasha, suddenly finding his voice. “I’ll take you home.”

Three pairs of eyes swiveled around slowly to gape at the hanyou. Had he just offered to…

“Taisho-kun?” Kagome said hesitantly. “Are you sure?”

Inuyasha’s ears drooped. “Would you rather Midori-san take you home?” he asked her dully. 

Kagome shook her head madly. “No!” she exclaimed. She then blinked and grounded herself. “I mean…” she said. She took a deep breath. 

This was it. _This_ was the thing she had wanted. Had _needed_. From the first time she saw him, to now. And her feelings had only increased.

“I would like it very much if you walked me home, Taisho—Inuyasha,” she said quietly. Inuyasha’s ears perked. He hadn’t misunderstood what she said. That she used his _name_ as she said it.

Miroku and Sango looked at each other. “We’ll get the check,” Miroku said. “Why don’t you two go ahead and get going?”

“Yeah,” Sango added, trying not to sound enthusiastic and failing miserably. “You can get us next time.”

“Are you—” said Kagome awkwardly.

“ _Thanks_ ,” interrupted Inuyasha brusquely. He pulled Kagome to her feet. “See you two fools around,” he added, and began to tug her towards the entrance.

“See you tomorrow, Sango-chan, Miroku-san,” Kagome said hurriedly. She allowed Inuyasha to pull her out of the izakaya, Sango and Miroku once again exchanging furtive, but triumphant, glances.

* * *

Inuyasha was walking fast. _Too_ fast. It was making Kagome a little crazy. She wanted to get home just as badly as she thought that he did, but maybe that wasn’t what he wanted? She was trying to figure it out, and the alcohol was fiddling with her brain. She wanted to walk leisurely, closely, to enjoy each other’s company for as long as possible, because _fuck_ , she finally had him alone and she was ecstatic. But he was practically ahead of her; now that they had left the izakaya, he had barely looked at her, much less tried to touch her. And goddammit, she was pretty fucking angry about it. He paid attention to her all night—he was fucking _affectionate_ with her all night— _he was walking her home_ —and now he was walking so fast she practically had to run to keep up with him? What was he doing? What kind of game was he playing?

Kagome growled a little. He was fast, but she could be faster. He might be able to run, but he’d never be able to run farther than her. She was going to race him, and she was going to catch him.

And this time, she would be damned if she was going to let him go.

Kagome reached out and caught his hand in her own. The claws pricked her skin; when she winced a little, Inuyasha immediately came to a stop, causing her to crash right into him.

“Are you okay?” he asked frantically. He could smell her blood on his hands. “I’m sorry, Higurashi,” he said, “I’m so fucking sorry.”

Kagome gripped his hand more tightly, willing him to stop panicking. Eventually, her hand overpowered his, and he relaxed in her hold.

“That’s better,” she said instead of accepting his apology. “Now,” she added, “how about if we walk together? So that we can talk, maybe get to know each other a little bit more?”

“Keh,” Inuyasha said crossly, trying to detach from her grip and failing miserably. She had a vice group around his fingers, and he was afraid of twisting too much, because he didn’t want to hurt her. “Come on, woman,” he added with a scowl, “don’t you think that you can let go of me?”

Kagome simply hummed and started to tug him along. “Higurashi,” he protested feebly, “wait…”

She turned and offered him a simple, shining smile. Her cheeks flushed pink and her eyelids dropped a little. Her breath hitched, and Inuyasha immediately focused completely on her face, on the rise and swell of her breasts, on the way that her eyes were closing. That, combined with her citrus and ginger scent, told him that she looked like...she smelled like...she _wanted_ him.

Kagome opened her eyes and gazed directly into Inuyasha’s blazing amber ones. She lifted their joined hands slowly, tentatively; Inuyasha was once again completely focused on her, but now, his focus was on her hand, intertwined with his. 

“Higurashi,” he said again, more gently than he was pretty sure he had ever said a person’s name before.

Kagome offered him a small smile, then squeezed his hand, still wrapped up in hers. “You know, Taisho-kun,” she said, her eyes lighting up and her voice suddenly becoming playful and quiet, “I really like holding your hand.”

Inuyasha’s face turned red, and his heart did that weird beating out of turn thing again. He smiled shyly, and allowed her to pull him down the rest of the street to her apartment building. 

Because honestly, if she was leading, he would follow her anywhere. 

Kagome lived on the third floor of a walk-up; still holding hands, Kagome gently led him up the steps and down the walkway to her apartment. She let go of his hand, both of them sighing a little at the loss of contact, reached into her bag. and took out her keys.

“Thank you for taking me home, Taisho-kun,” she said softly. “I really appreciate you doing so.”

“Keh,” was the gruff reply. “Wasn’t nothing.”

And it really wasn’t.

Kagome took a deep breath. She was going to do it. She was going to ask him….

“Would you like to come in for a soda, or a water?” she suggested. “Just for awhile?”

Inuyasha’s face went from shocked, to surprised, to a smirk. “Just for a little bit,” he said. “I’ve got class in the morning. Stupid fucking first-years,” he added when he saw her confused face. “I need to make sure I get a good night’s sleep.”

 _Lie. Youkai needed no sleep, and hanyou only needed slightly more_.

She smiled. “Well then,” Kagome replied, in a deep voice not quite her own, “allow me to open this,” and she kicked at the door as she turned the lock and she pushed.

Inuyasha let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding as he allowed her to take his hand and lead him into the genkan. There, she slipped off her sneakers, and he knelt down to take off his shoes and socks. He rose, and stood before her, golden and gleaming and desperate for her touch. And Kagome felt—she just _knew_ —that if she were to reach out with her hand, to touch him, to place her hands on him, it would bring immeasurable light to the dark and sullen hanyou who so frequently was the one who turned his back on love. And for some reason, she wanted to be the one to do this for him, more than anyone else.

“Taisho-kun,” she whispered, then reached out with her hand and placed it on his chest. Gods, he was rock hard; how often did he work out? Her desire for him spiked ever further as she longed to know what his bare skin would feel like against her chest. “ _Inuyasha._ ” She was _desperate_ to close the distance between them, but was also still a little nervous. Would he want to? If she were to kiss him, would he respond? Would he react? His scent was thick, and cloying, but she didn’t know if it was a result of him, or the alcohol, or some bizarre combination. 

She took the tiniest step closer to him, her breath completely stilled, her eyes focused only on him.

“Higurashi.” His voice was rough, and deep, and his hands slowly reached out to take her by the arms and pull her to him. When he placed his hands on her biceps, he felt her automatically relax and submit to his will. His instincts roared to life, and he drew her even closer. He tilted her head up; he lowered his head to hers. They were resting, forehead to forehead. His breath was hot and reeked of beer and tequila and other things that she couldn't quite identify.

Kagome couldn’t remember the last time she had kissed someone after a night of drinking, but she found that this time? She really didn’t care what was on his breath.

She just had to know: what did _he_ taste like? How soft were his lips? _What did his fangs feel like_? How would they feel dragged across the most intimate parts of her body? 

Damn. She really _had_ to know. And she was going to find out.

Inuyasha could sense her shifting scents, from something more placid and nervous to something bold and spicy. He didn’t know what they were about to do, but _fuck_ , he was here for it.

“I don’t—” she was saying. “I don’t normally do this.”

Inuyasha chuckled. “I don’t _ever_ do this,” he reassured her. “So I’m pretty sure that whatever you decide you _want_ to do, it’ll be fine with me. Because you know—”

Kagome had wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled him close, and pressed her lips to his.

And it was everything she had hoped for: his lips were soft, and pliable, and she was delighting in rubbing her own lips against his. His arms tightened around her; she was impossibly close to him now—practically inside him, and it was suddenly not enough.

“Inu-Inuyasha,” she whispered into his mouth. Inuyasha growled in response and ran his hands down her back, tracing the curve of her spine, letting his claws draw tiny concentric circles along the way. Kagome shivered, and grabbed him more tightly around his neck. She shoved her tongue between his lip, demanding entry into his mouth, and he granted it eagerly.

It was _hot_ —so hot—and his chest rumbled with pleasure as he rolled out his own tongue to meet hers. It was long, and thick, and curling around her own, and she shifted eagerly in his arms, pawing at the bottom of his shirt and desperately trying to hike it up. Inuyasha’s response was simply to growl into her mouth and press her even closer. 

Had anyone ever desired him like this? Had anyone ever held his hand, touched him with real desire, _kissed him with real desire_? Had anyone before Kagome even expressed the mildest of interest?

He was a shitbrain. He’d convinced himself that she thought he was an abomination, and all this time, _she wanted to be with him_. He pulled away from her slightly, frowning, his ears pressed back against his skull.

Inuyasha’s heart broke as Kagome’s face fell. “Is—is everything okay?” she asked him, her hands still twisting in the hem of his shirt.

“I—I—” he paused. How could he say this to her? To this beautiful, perfect girl? That he had thought…

“That first day you saw me,” he said at last. “In Tanaka-sensei’s class.”

“What about it?” Her sweet face was now twisted in confusion.

“When you were—looking—at me.” He was going to regret this; he just knew it. But he had to say it. “What were you thinking?”

Her head cocked cutely to the side; her hands now yanked on the hem of his shirt. “Thinking?” she repeated blankly. “What...was I... _thinking_?”

“Yeah.” Yup, total shit. “Did you think I was...I was weird? Odd?”

“Handsome,” she said immediately, “I thought you were the most adorable, sexy, handsome man I’d ever seen.” Her cheeks pinked. “I guess that’s kind of weird, right?” she added softly. “I had never seen you before, and I couldn’t keep my eyes off of you. I guess that tells you something about me, doesn’t it? Even though...even though I had never done something like that before.”

 _Holy fucking fuck_. 

Inuyasha gently removed her hands from his shirt and held them up to his face. “Not weird at all,” he said gently (how was he capable of this kind of tone in his voice? Fuck, he didn’t know). “I thought...I thought you looked at me and saw something _else,_ that’s all.”

He hoped that she’d figure out what he meant by ‘something else’. 

She did.

Kagome’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears. “Oh, _Inuyasha_ ,” she said, pushing herself forward into his chest. “I would _never_ think that of you. _Ever_. You are...I am…” She lifted her face so it was centimeters from his. “I have been... _watching._..you this whole time. Trying to figure out how to get you to talk to me. How to get you to hang out with me. How to…” Her voice grew quiet. “How to get you here with me. Like this.” Her eyes glimmered again. “I hope that...this is okay? That you...that you want to be here with me?”

_He was such a fucking fool._

“Higurashi—Kagome,” he said, using her given name to emphasize his point. “You are the most incredible, beautiful, amazing woman I have ever met. To think that you...that you are even a little bit interested in... _me_ …” he let go of her just long enough to madly gesture to his body “...it just boggles my mind. But you’re here, and I’m here, and I want to show you how much I appreciate this. How much I...appreciate you.”

“Inuyasha,” she whispered, feeling the hope leaping in her chest when she saw a light begin to blaze in Inuyasha’s gorgeous eyes. This time, when she reached for his shirt and she yanked up, he did not stop her. 

When he was finally shirtless, Kagome let out a gasp. His torso _was_ chiseled, and rock hard; she couldn’t believe how _cut_ he was. She leaned forward and pressed her face into his chest, inhaling his deep, musky scent. She offered little kisses to his chest, allowing her hands to roam freely. She felt how deeply he needed this, how deeply he needed touch, and affection, and love. And she knew that she was the one who just _had_ to give it to him. 

Kagome’s hands eventually settled in the waist of his jeans. She teased the band, pulling on it slightly, and he chuckled. 

“Are ya looking for something?” he asked her, his voice rough and thick.

“I think I found it,” she replied easily, unbuttoning his jeans and finding the zipper with her delicate fingers. One tug and the zipper was down, and then her hands were sliding over his hips and gently pulling his jeans and his boxer briefs down. She had to see...she had to _know_...what did he look like? How would he taste? How would he feel?

And then, his cock was free, and she let out an audible gasp as she saw it, clearly and plainly, and reveled in its glory.

Inuyasha was...stunned. When had a woman ever looked at his cock like this, with such awe, with such reverence? When had a woman ever looked at his cock like it was _the one_ she dreamed of being buried deep inside her?

Never. It had never fucking happened. And now...now it was.

Kagome, meanwhile, had met few cocks she didn’t like. Oftentimes, the dislike was attached to the man they belonged to, but there were times where the dislike was also attached to how it looked. Kagome didn’t like to be vain, but she also liked to feel pleasure. And sometimes, a certain cock just didn’t give her pleasure.

She was one hundred and fifty percent positive that would not be the case with Inuyasha.

Kagome may have whined audibly at the sight of his cock; she immediately dropped to her knees and took it in her hand, turning it over gently, examining it from all angles. He was already hard, and she delighted in feeling the veins in his shaft pulse under her gentle touch. When she ran her fingers gently from base to tip, he shivered and buried her hands in his hair, tugging slightly. Kagome grinned, because she knew _exactly_ what he wanted, and she was going to give him just that. 

But not yet.

First, she was going to enjoy herself. And let him know just how much she would enjoy it. 

“Inuyasha,” Kagome purred, “please. Let me _show you_ how special you are.” A bright smile lit up her face as she looked at the disbelieving hanyou she’d spent _months_ thinking about, who still clearly couldn’t believe they were here, they were doing this, and she was all in.

Kagome continued to allow the pads of her fingers to enjoy caressing his cock. She ran her hands down the length to the base, rubbing them in his soft silver hair, wondering how he could get that hair so soft and fine and thick. She was longing to press her face there and inhale, but _not yet_. Instead, she allowed herself to be satisfied with feeling him, with learning about his cock through the sensation of touch. And when she dragged her nails up the shaft, from base to tip, he moaned and yanked on her hair.

“You’re fucking killing me here, woman,” he growled. “Either put me outta my misery or just let me have you.”

“Patience, Inuyasha,” Kagome sang softly, “you’ll get what you want.”

“What I want is—”

 _Oh, FUCK_.

Kagome had wrapped her lips around the head of his cock and sucked. Hard.

Inuyasha’s moans took on a guttural, howling sound, and he held onto her even more tightly. Her perfect little mouth was so hot, and moist, and her tongue was _doing things_ to the head of his dick that he couldn’t quite explain, but that he also did not want her to stop doing? It was almost too much for him—he was feeling like he was going to let go any second.

Kagome hummed around him, and he tensed. She turned her eyes up to him, as if to say, _Not yet_ , and fuck it all, he was gonna do his fucking best to listen to her.

Satisfied that he was not going to try anything else, Kagome began to suck his cock enthusiastically, working her hands over the shaft, tugging slightly, massaging the veins and feeling them twitching under her touch. Her adorable face was serious; her eyes were closed, and she was making little mewling sounds as she took him into her mouth fully. Inuyasha offered his own little pathetic mewl, because…

He was loath to admit it, but it had been a long time since any woman had touched him like this. Since any woman had made him feel so fucking good. Most of the others has just jerked him off half-heartedly, and he totally fucking knew why. Because he was a hanyou. And women who fucked hanyous only did so because they had a weird fetish for youkai, but couldn’t take the full force of a youkai fucking, so hanyou were the best they could do. Even there, even with women who had a kink, Inuyasha was second best.

But with Kagome? She was taking him in her mouth with zest, and licking him up and down like a goddamn candy cane. Her enthusiasm was coming through in all the sounds she was making, and it was making him even harder. His entire cock was pulsing with need, and the tightening in his groin was starting to pool in the head of his dick. He wanted...no.

He _needed_ this. He _needed_ her. Because she made him feel special. Now that he was sure—now that he knew she wanted him, _really_ wanted him—he wanted her to know how much this— _she_ meant to him. But first...

Inuyasha let out a little whine; Kagome looked up at him, and gave him a nod. He gripped her shoulders and took several quick thrusts, grunting loudly with each one, and then he shot his load down her throat, his dick twitching several times in quick succession, fully emptying itself in her mouth. Kagome took it all down, swallowing with very little dribble. And that was impressive: _she_ was impressive. 

And now, he lifted her to her feet, drew her in, and held her close, her still fully-clothed form tight against his. He was breathing heavily; his entire body was shaking. But he knew—his instincts were crying out to him—

 _Touch her. Taste her. Make her feel so good she cries with desire for you to fuck her._ _  
_

And all the while, his human side was crying out: _worship her, adore her, thank her for being your goddamned light in the darkness, your best dreams come true._

And he knew. That was exactly what he had to do.

“Higurashi,” he whispered into her hair. He felt her tense up slightly. “Is there a bedroom here?” he asked her. He paused. “Or do you want me to fuck you on the tatami?”

In all honesty, he wanted to make love to her in her bedroom; it made him feel less like an animal. He thought for sure she would scoff at his suggestion, but surprisingly, she gave him the opposite response.

“Down the hall,” she whispered. “But first…” And she toyed with the hem of her shirt, then looked at him. “Should I be naked too?” She yanked on her shirt and tugged it over her head, both more fearless and brazen than she had even been in her life. She paused, then did the same with her jeans, unbuttoning and unzipping them, then slipping them down her legs, leaving them in a pool on the floor with her shirt. She started to unhook her bra, but Inuyasha reached out with one hand to stop her. 

“Please,” he whispered hoarsely, “please let me. In the bedroom.”

Kagome’s eyes blinked at him, but she nodded, and took him by the hand. 

“It’s this way,” she said softly, then reached up to kiss him. He shivered when their lips touched, because now, she tasted of him, and he wanted to taste her, just as badly.

Under Kagome’s gentle guidance, Inuyasha eagerly followed her down the hall to the bedroom. It was a simple six-mat tatami room, but to his surprise, Kagome had a glorious, queen-size, Western bed. At his gasp, Kagome turned to smile at him.

“Not used to a Western-style bed, Inuyasha?” she asked coquettishly. 

Inuyasha let out a huge breath. “ _Fuck_ ,” he said pulling her to him and kissing her thickly.

Now that she had given him such a glorious gift, his entire body and soul were thrumming with need for her—more specifically, to give her as much pleasure as she had given him. His arms circled her torso, and he growled when her hands slowly ran up his back, applying the slightest, sweetest pressure there. He could feel the heat of her sex, even through her panties. Inuyasha crushed her to him even more tightly, and felt her breasts through her bra, the satin gently caressing his skin. 

“Ka—Kagome,” he whispered into her mouth.

“Bed,” she replied simply, and jumped up into his arms.

Inuyasha caught her easily, his mouth still pressed to hers, then turned and laid her down easily. He took a moment to step back and enjoy the look of Kagome in her lingerie: her black, satin and lace bra, and her soft black cotton and lace panties. She looked—he just—well, fuck. He just wanted to devour her, from top to bottom, and then fuck her senseless. He would worship her; he would make her see every single god in the goddamn heavens.

But first, he needed to taste her. _All_ of her.

Inuyasha positioned himself on the bed, on top of Kagome, and lowered himself gently, pressing his lips to hers, relishing the feel of her body beneath his. Her breasts were still covered by her bra, and while he wanted more than anything to taste her pussy, he also needed to see her, _all of her_ , especially those glorious breasts that captured him from the first moment he saw her. He wanted to touch them and to taste them too. So he pulled himself up and straddled her, lowering onto her thighs, and tugging gently at her bra straps.

“Higurashi,” he whined, “I need to…”

Kagome pulled herself up on her elbows. “Okay,” she breathed, and looped one hand behind her back. Inuyasha heard the hooks unsnapping, and then he leaned forward and tugged at her bra, tossing it aside in his eagerness. He let out a pant, then attacked her breasts.

They were just as soft and yielding as he expected; he found one nipple, licking and teasing it gently, and then the other, doing the same thing and enjoying the unintelligible sounds coming out of her mouth. He then gently dug his fangs into the skin and tugged; Kagome let out a whine and twisted underneath him, her panties growing damp as she felt her body coiling and tensing at his teasing. She reached up and tweaked his ears playfully, rubbing the soft, downy fur both with and against its natural direction. 

And holy fuck, rubbing his ears? That made him instantly hard again. Inuyasha growled and took a bit of Kagome’s skin in his fangs and worried it. She tightened her grip on his ears, and he shook his head and growled again. 

Goddammit, he could do this all night—he could love on her beautiful, _perfect_ breasts all night—but he had to move on. He had to leave her delicious tits behind and he regretted it, but if he had his way, he would be able to put his fangs on her again this night, and again every night after, for as long as she would let him. Instead, he moved his nose down between her breasts, over her navel, and then down to the juncture of her thighs. She was still wearing her panties. He shot her a gleeful look before he did it, then with one slice of his claws, they fell to the side easily.

“Inu—Inuyasha!” she exclaimed. “I _liked_ those.”

“Too fucking bad,” he grunted, now burying his face between her thighs and inhaling deeply. “In the fucking way.”

Kagome moaned and twisted underneath him. She reached for his ears again, found them, and gave them a harsh tweak. “Not too—bad,” she sighed. “You—owe me—a new pair.”

“As many pairs as you want,” he replied darkly, “so long as I get to do this.” And he drove his tongue into her already dripping opening.

Kagome cried out at the sudden intrusion, her body immediately tensing up and writhing under his efforts. She could feel his tongue pulsing inside of her, twisting and exploring her walls. He took one hand and began to tease her breasts; his other hand focused on the tiny bundle of nerves just above where his face was currently pressed. He gave it a little flick, then a twist, and then he pinched her nipple while swirling his tongue inside of her, and Kagome thrashed her entire lower body around violently. She...she needed…

She needed more than just his tongue inside her.

When he added one finger alongside his tongue, she nearly lost her mind. 

“ _Inu—ya—sha_ ,” she panted, and felt herself being swept up on the wave of Inuyasha’s tongue and hands and face and claws and the golden eyes watching every shift, every twist, every sigh, every jerk. She was tight—so tight—and so tense. She was fighting his long and pulsing tongue; she was fighting his fingers; she was fighting how _all_ of him was teasing _all_ of her into oblivion. Until she could fight it no longer.

“Let go, Higurashi,” he growled into her pussy, and let go she did. Kagome came apart, her gentle cries slowly becoming soft sighs as her climax washed over her. Inuyasha lapped up her juices, pressing his face back into her soft, slick sex, coating his face in her completely.

Kagome dropped her head back on the pillow and took several deep breaths. This was...this had been…

“Pretty good, huh?” Inuyasha was suddenly at her side, grinning madly at her, his fangs dripping with her cum. 

Kagome turned her head slightly and offered him a small smile. “Fucking awesome,” she said. “Fucking awesome.”

Inuyasha rolled on top of her, and they both sighed at the contact. “Higurashi,” he whispered, nudging her jawline with his nose. “I wanna fuck you _so bad_. Will you...will you let me fuck you?”

“Do you have a condom?” Kagome panted, wrapping her arms and her legs around him and rubbing her slick opening all over his cock. 

Inuyasha groaned loudly in response. “In my wallet,” he sighed, “which is in the….” He pushed himself back onto his knees. “Fuck!” he cursed loudly. “ _Fuck_!”

A small giggle brought him back to reality. “I’m not going anywhere, you know,” Kagome pointed out. “Go get the condom. I _promise_ to be here when you get back.”

Inuyasha planted a quick kiss on her temple, then ran off into the washitsu. Kagome sighed, and rolled around on the bed, her entire body tingling with anticipation. She smiled. What she had said to Inuyasha was true. She was not the kind of girl who slept with a guy right after she met him. She was not the kind of girl who sucked a guy off as soon as his cock was out. And yet, here she was, doing all of those things, and enjoying them. 

Because Inuyasha, as quiet and surly and standoffish as he was...Inuyasha was the _right_ guy to do this with. 

Before she knew it, he was back in the room, his cock already sheathed in the condom. Kagome giggled again at his enthusiasm, and he bared his fangs at her playfully, before dropping to all fours and then leaping onto the bed. She laughed openly now, kicking her legs, and then hooking his hips with her knees and drawing him in.

 _Fuck_ , she felt so fucking good and fun and delicious. If acting like the inu hanyou he was delighted her, then he would sure as fuck give into his baser instincts every single day of their lives. Because that laugh, that giggle...it _did things_ to his insides and it made his cock turn nearly purple with the amount of blood pumping through it.

“Are you ready?” she asked him.

Inuyasha nodded and lined his cock up with her entrance. “How about you?” he asked, suddenly quiet and understanding why.

Kagome nodded too, then leaned up to kiss him. “It’s gonna be all right, Inuyasha,” she whispered. She shifted her hips up so that it would be easy for him, and he pressed himself into her. 

Kagome let out a low, loud moan at the feeling of his cock against her walls. It was hard, and long, and hot—all things she looked for in a cock. But it was more than the feeling of him inside her that was making her moan; it was that it was Inuyasha, the man who made her heart stop the first time she met him, the man she had followed, hoping he would notice her, for so long, without any knowledge of how he felt about her, without any knowledge of whether or not he would return her feelings, without any knowledge of... _anything_ , really...and they were here, and they were joined, and it was _glorious_. She wrapped her legs around his hips more tightly and began to rock him against her slowly, carefully, with a deep feeling in her heart that she hadn’t even known could exist.

Inuyasha’s thrusts inside of her were equally languid. She was tight, squeezing his cock, and he had to move slowly or he would lose it immediately. He moved in her gently, lazily—he wanted her to adjust to the feel of him inside her before he quickened his movements. He lifted her up with one arm around her shoulders, his other arm pressing into the mattress. Her hips dove into the mattress as she adjusted her angle and took him into her even more deeply. And then he hit something deep inside her that made her eyes roll back into her head, made her cry out, and made her shoot up and clamp her mouth around his throat, and suck, hard.

Inuyasha’s entire body lit up when she locked her jaws onto his neck and bit down on the skin there; it was quick, and simple, and it made his entire body shiver and quake. “Hi—Higurashi,” he grunted, allowing the forcefulness of his drives to increase. Kagome whimpered softly, and he nudged her face away from his neck with his nose, then gently peppered her face with kisses. He needed her to know: this wasn’t just about a fucking for him. This was about a woman, meeting a man, and that woman chasing the man, and catching him. This was about the man giving the woman his whole heart, his whole body, his whole soul. It was about the two of them, coming together, their bodies lacing together, their hearts and souls joining as one.

Having sex for Inuyasha wasn’t supposed to be like this. It was supposed to be quick, and largely unpleasurable, and designed to serve a purpose. But now he could see: sex was something that was beautiful, and glorious, and he wanted to share in it with Kagome _and only Kagome_ now, and always.

“Inuyasha.” Her breath was close by; he saw that she had pulled him down to her level; her lips barely caressing one of his ears. “You—you feel so good.”

A soft chuckle, and a harder thrust. “You feel fucking _amazing_ , Higurashi,” he chuckled, and raised her hips slightly further. 

“Not—not this way,” she grunted. “Not like this.” She pushed him up, and back, and over, so that she was on top. She ground down on his cock, and they both groaned. Inuyasha reached up with both hands and massaged her breasts; Kagome lifted her hips and moved them in a circular direction as she tried to establish a solid rhythm. Inuyasha whined at Kagome; he couldn’t use words— _he had no words in this moment_ —but he could show her how he felt. Kagome dropped forward and moved on him, nuzzling his neck, offering him little bites and nips. He circled his arms about her, taking the moment to close his eyes and inhale her sweet, dusky scent. Gods, how could anything smell better than _her_? Inuyasha pressed his hips up from underneath and into her in his excitement and his joy; normally, he liked being in charge and being on top, but with Kagome? He was so happy to be there, to be with her...

He’d let her do _whatever_ she wanted.

“You, Inuyasha,” Kagome panted as though she heard him, “all I want is you.” Her body was electric; when he paused to trace the contours of her face, neck, and breasts with his claws, Kagome let out a gasp and felt the pulses of energy shoot between them. They lit her up and brought her along on a journey not unlike being swept along a wild and churning river. Kagome careened along, and when she reached the end, she was gonna let go. 

And let go she did.

With a loud cry of Inuyasha’s name, Kagome found her release and allowed his cock to twitch inside her as she milked it for all it was worth. Inuyasha hissed at the tightening around him, drove up into her fiercely, then howled and yanked her flush with his chest, panting and holding her close as he emptied into the condom. Kagome’s chest was heaving, and she rested her head in the crook of his neck, the sensation of his releasing inside her causing her to spasm all over again. Inuyasha held her, whispered soft, unintelligible things to her, until her breathing slowed and she started to recover. 

“Inu—Inuyasha?” Her voice was small, and maybe a little frightened?

Inuyasha lifted her up so he could pull out. He swiftly removed the condom and dropped it in the wastebasket beside her bed, then reached down and pulled a blanket up over them both. He snuggled her in close. “Kagome,” he said softly, kissing her hair, her ears, her cheeks, her nose, her lips. Because he could hear it in her voice; he could scent it in the air. She was hesitant; now that the moment was over, she needed to know what came next.

“This—this was—is—you and me and—” _Fuck._ He didn’t have the words to tell her how she made him feel. Like he mattered. Like he was _someone_ . Someone who could be cared for. And maybe even, someone who could be _loved._

He didn’t have the words; he knew. But, he could…

He could show her.

Inuyasha tenderly tilted Kagome’s soft and uncertain face to his. He saw the concern in her eyes, and it rent his heart in ways he didn’t think possible. So he scooted down a bit, held her fiercely, and kissed her, and kissed her, and kissed her.

And slowly, he felt the hesitation melt away; he felt her sadness replaced by a gingery, citrusy scent; he felt her hands begin to roam over his skin again. She was touching his shoulders, down to his biceps, his forearms; she cupped her hands over his and clutched them tightly. He let out a low chuckle and wrapped her body up with his. She was so soft, and lovely, and beautiful; he was already becoming drunk with arousal all over again.

“I—Inuyasha?” she breathed.

He rolled them so that he was on top of her; the feel of her body beneath him, ready and eager to receive his love, was almost too much, and he fought back the tears that he thought were all gone, long ago.

Oh, _yes_. He was going to love her—her body, her mind, and her soul—for the rest of the night. And, he _hoped_ , if she let him, for a long, long time after this.

* * *

The sun was just starting to peek out over the horizon when Inuyasha finally left Kagome’s apartment. He adjusted his jacket closer around his shoulders, and walked down the steps, back out into the real world. He didn’t want to leave—fuck it all, he really didn’t—but he had to teach at 9, and he needed to get home, get cleaned up, and get his materials together for class. 

Normally, Inuyasha stalked the streets, glowering and feeling surly about the world. He had been largely ignored all his life, except to be ridiculed, abused, or bullied. People only paid attention to him insofar as he served their own interests. Japan was not a place to stand out, even for youkai; he knew this, and he felt it, deeply in his heart, every day of his life. That was why he’d been so hell-bent on getting his PhD, getting a job in America, and getting the fuck out. He’d been laser-focused on this goal for so long, he’d been ignoring the beauty of the world around him.

Until he met Kagome.

That first day he saw her, he’d been a fool. He’d mistaken her arousal, her interest, for prejudice, or for maybe a weird kink. Because that’s what it always was when people looked at him: it was always prejudice, it was always sadness, it was always anger at his very existence. 

But it hadn’t been prejudice; it hadn’t been sadness. It had been _interest_ , and now, he thought, maybe it was akin to something like love.

 _Love_. That word filled him with a weird sensation, from the tips of his toes to the tips of his ears, which he was painfully aware were now waggling with joy. Could he love? Could he _feel_ love? 

After one night with Kagome—one glorious night kissing her, worshiping her, making love to her—he thought that maybe, he could.

Suddenly, the streets didn’t seem so dark, the people walking them didn’t seem so cruel, and the world didn’t seem so cold. There was a warmth radiating from Inuyasha that he had never felt before. It was his own, and it was hers, and for him, it was both enough, and not nearly. Because from her, with her? 

He wanted more.

Inuyasha walked the rest of the way home lighter than he’d ever felt in his life. He hadn’t slept, but he didn’t care. He reached his apartment, took a quick shower, put on fresh clothes, and gathered together his materials for class. He took some time to review his notes, and to go over the homework he’d given the students. By the time he left for campus, he was more awake, more alive, and more prepared for class than he had ever been. 

And fuck, if being prepared didn’t make class fly by! He was sure the students were all looking at each other as though they were trying to figure out who or what had possessed their normally surly instructor. But Inuyasha drew a timeline on the board, mapping out the different events of the American Revolution (the class was World History, 1500-1800, and he loved the section on the early history of America), and explaining eagerly to the students the reasoning behind the Boston Tea Party, the publishing of Thomas Paine’s _Common Sense_ , and the connections between the American Revolution and the French Revolution (which they would be covering in the next class period). The students were actually taking notes and looking at the board with something resembling interest. Perhaps they could see the fire lighting up his eyes and his voice? Could they see Kagome’s presence, still wrapped around him, giving him a new, fresh life? He didn’t care. _He_ could feel her— _he_ couldn’t wait to be with her again—and that was all that mattered.

Inuyasha dismissed his students a few minutes early, and shockingly enough, several of them (girls, he noticed) hung around to ask follow-up questions on his lecture. Their questions were thoughtful, and interesting, and he realized that maybe he enjoyed talking with students, and that maybe, this was something he could want to do for the rest of his life. 

When the last of the students finally trickled out, Inuyasha smiled, and packed up his backpack. As he turned out the lights and left the classroom, he found himself wondering what Kagome was up to. He hoped she was sleeping, since he’d kept her up all night, and recovering, since he was pretty sure her human body would need time to do that, after all the attention he’d paid to her. Was it too early to text her? Would it be weird? How long should he wait? Because honestly? He was done with class for the day, and all he wanted to do was go back to her apartment and sit outside on his haunches to wait for her.

 _Fuck_. Kagome was awakening _all_ his inu youkai instincts, wasn’t she? 

And he was...one hundred percent there for it.

Inuyasha stepped outside the humanities building and back into the bright sunshine of the cool May morning. The air was just making the transition from the chill of the night to the warmth of the day, and he shivered as he felt the changes in the air caress his face. He stopped and closed his eyes, inhaling the sweet, fresh flowers, the crispness of the air. It all reminded him of her, and how much he wanted to be with her, for every chilly morning, and for every crisp and cool night. 

It all reminded him of how very much he needed her. And how much he longed to see her.

* * *

A loud, annoying _ping_ roused Kagome from her deep slumber. Grumbling, she stuck her hand out to the other side of the mattress, and opened her eyes fully when she discovered that it was empty. A momentary feeling of deep panic, where her stomach dropped and she instantly felt ill, raced through her system, but then common sense took over and she remembered. 

_Inuyasha has class this morning_.

The relief that flooded through her was surprising. She hadn’t expected to feel so...so possessive?...after only one night. But yet, she did, and it felt…

It felt right.

Kagome smiled and snuggled into the pillow on his side of the bed ( _on his side of the bed?_ Was she already thinking that?), inhaling the sweet scent of musk and pine that he left on her pillow. She then slowly stretched. Her body was...sore...but she felt incredible. Like she had just been front row at a L’Arc en Ciel concert and Hyde had been singing just for her. Like she’d just eaten the most delicious oden, snuggled under a kotatsu, watching _Sailor Moon_ , Inuyasha’s arms wrapped around her.

 _Inuyasha_.

The phone pinged again, and Kagome snagged it off her bedside table. It was a series of texts.

_Higurashi. Are you awake?_

_I missed you. I’m on my way._

_I’m here._

_Can you open the door?_ 😂

Kagome sat straight up and jumped out of bed. She fumbled around the bedroom, yanking on a pair of leggings, a tank top, and an oversized cardigan. She threw her hair up in a ponytail and ran to the door, pulling it open.

Inuyasha was there, sheepish in the morning light. His hair was tied back in a long braid, tucked under his backpack. He smiled shyly, and Kagome blinked at him, her eyes still mossy with sleep.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hey,” she replied.

He held something out to her, and Kagome realized that it was a coffee. She accepted it, and allowed their fingertips to brush against each other. She did not miss his shiver, and it thrilled her.

“I thought that maybe—maybe you might need this. After last night. And this morning.” His gaze was bright, and bold, and held hers steady. He wasn’t ashamed of what they had done. Quite the opposite.

Kagome’s face lit up as she slowly realized he’d enjoyed the night before as much as she had. “And this morning,” she agreed. She smiled back at him and sipped the coffee. It was…

“Iced latte,” he said, “with caramel. Just how you like it.”

Kagome blushed and took a step closer to him. “How did you remember this?” she asked him softly, still closing the space between them. 

Inuyasha chuckled sweetly. “Don’t you know, Higurashi?” he replied, leaning in to kiss her gently. She sighed a little as their lips touched, receiving in that kiss all his feelings, his passions, his hopes and dreams—all about, and including, Kagome. When he broke the kiss, she saw that his golden eyes were mischievous, playful. 

“Since the day that we met, I’ve had my eye on you.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inuyasha gets an unexpected offer, and doesn't know how to respond. Kagome does her best to help him process.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I hope that wherever you are, you are safe and well.
> 
> So today is my friend [C_Storm's](https://archiveofourown.org/users/C_Storm) birthday! Happy birthday dear; I hope you enjoy your day! To celebrate, I've written two additional chapters of _I've Got My Eye on You_! I hope that you enjoy them!
> 
> Also, make sure that you all check the first chapter for new commissioned cover art by the amazing [hopidoodle](https://hopidoodle.tumblr.com/)!

Taisho Inuyasha sat in his office, reading through the quizzes his students had just submitted online. His golden eyes narrowed as he scanned through the answers they had written—a mixture of short answers and multiple choice, but from what he saw, they were doing a decent job with their responses. Maybe his students weren’t total idiots, after all.

Inuyasha sighed and looked at the time on his desktop. Close to 6. His sigh became a little smirk. Kagome could be getting out of class soon; almost time for them to go home together. He immediately began to think about what they had to eat in the house…. Some rice, some miso soup, maybe some leftover ramen? Not very much; he was shit at going to the store and buying food when it was just him.

But this...this was Thursday, and while he had class the next morning, Kagome did not, and he liked leaving her to sleep in his bed while he went off, taught class, and then came home to find her there, usually sleeping. And then, he _loved_ waking her up, slowly and gently, with lots of soft kisses on her lips, her cheeks, her nose. And _then_ , if she was awake enough and feeling frisky enough (which, fuck, she usually did), he would wake her up fully and properly.

Eight months ago, Higurashi Kagome had found her way into his mind. Three months ago, she’d found her way into his heart...and his bed. (Well, okay, _her_ bed first, but who was even counting anymore?) And since then...well, _fuck_. Since then, he’d been…

He’d been _happy_.

The hanyou who couldn’t _wait_ to get the fuck out of Tokyo was still there, and _happy_. 

She was the sunshine, the warmth, the comfort that he didn’t know he needed in his dark and lonely life. Every time she smiled, just for him, his heart felt so fucking full that it might burst. And every time she kissed him, every time she stroked his ears...every time she made love to him, he felt full, and sated, and loved. Hell, if it wasn’t so weird, he’d roll over and left her rub his belly all day long. 

And there were nights where they just laid together on the couch and watched TV, and he may have let her do exactly that.

Because before Kagome, he tried really fucking hard to hide that he was a hanyou. He would bury his inu youkai instincts so far down that no one would know he was anything other than human. He wore hats to hide his ears; he chalked up his golden eyes and silver hair to bizarre family traits. He hid his fangs and claws. Because life for a youkai in Tokyo was hard, but life for a hanyou?

It was pretty near fucking impossible.

And nope, Inuyasha was not someone who was excited about the prospect of confrontation with others over his identity as a hanyou. He’d been through it too much in his life, and now? All he really wanted to do was just keep his head down, stay sullen and quiet, and when he graduated, he wanted to get the fuck out of Tokyo and head to America. Where he could be free, and himself, and not have to worry about conforming to someone else’s ideas of what his life should look like or how it should be valued. Because here? His life was worth next to zero.

That _was_ what he had thought, anyway. But since meeting Kagome? He was starting to think that maybe Japan wasn’t so bad anymore. That maybe, if there was one person as good and as pure and as wonderful as Kagome, that maybe, just maybe, there were others like her too.

And maybe, just maybe, he wouldn’t have to escape all the way to America.

His desktop pinged, and Inuyasha looked at his email. There was an email from Kaita-sensei, his mentor and prospective dissertation director.

_Taisho: meet me at the coffee shop on campus tomorrow. I have some important news to share with you. Will see you after your class gets out at 10. ~Kaita._

Inuyasha frowned. What could his professor want? Coming to campus on a Friday? This had to be big. He couldn’t help it; he was starting to get a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He wanted to write Kaita-sensei back; he wanted to demand that Kaita-sensei tell him what was the news, but he knew that Kaita would simply say, “wait until tomorrow.”

Now his phone was buzzing; he picked it up and saw a text from Kagome.

_Just got out of class. Ready to meet me at the front doors?_

All thoughts of Kaita-sensei were pushed from his mind when he saw Kagome’s text. Immediately he began bouncing up and down in his seat and made sure he saved his work and logged off the learning management system. Student work would have to wait until the next day.

He was going to take Kagome home.

* * *

The next morning, right at 10:15, Inuaysha was sitting at a table at the campus coffee shop, waiting for Kaita-sensei to join him. Kaita was a one of those professors who was notoriously “professorial”—he wore tortoise-shell glasses and a permanently confused expression. His socks often did not match; his shirts were untucked and often covered in stains; he wore suspenders that were usually held up by safety pins; his fly wasn’t always fully zipped on his pants. He was, in short, a mess. 

But Inuyasha... _loved_ might have been too strong of a word?...but Inuyasha certainly _respected_ him. Because in a world that preached conformity, Kaita-sensei was brash, callous, and did not give a shit what anyone thought of him. He was also one of the premier American history scholars in Japan.

Inuyasha had come to Tokyo University primarily to study with him. 

“Ah, Taisho-kun,” said a deep baritone. Inuyasha swiveled his head around, and saw Kaita-sensei heading towards his table, a coffee in one hand and a dessert bag in the other. Inuyasha nodded as Kaita-sensei slipped into a chair across from him.

“Kaita-sensei,” Inuyasha grunted, taking a sip of his cappuccino, and wishing he’d asked for two extra shots in it instead of just one.

“How are you?” Kaita-sensei asked, setting the pastry bag on the table. “I brought us a snack.” Kaita tore open the bag; Inuyasha could see a variety of pastries, including several dorayaki. He looked up at Kaita-sensei, who nodded; Inuyasha took one of the pastries and bit into it, enjoying the smooth bean paste inside the pancake. The two sat for several minutes, enjoying the silence, Inuyasha enjoying the dorayaki. When he finished the first, Kaita-sensei pushed the bag towards him, but Inuyasha shook his head.

“No,” he said, “I’m good, but thanks.”

“I suppose you want to know why I wanted to meet you this morning, Taisho-kun,” said Kaita-sensei, getting right to the point. Inuyasha nodded, and Kaita-sesnsei took a breath. “I’ve had an email from my colleague at Princeton University in the States.” He paused. “I’ve been invited to be a visiting scholar in the East Asian Studies program, teaching graduate courses and holding a series of lectures on Japanese/American relations.” 

Inuyasha’s mouth fell open. “Sensei,” he said, “that’s an incredible opportunity. Are you going to take it?”

Kaita-sensei took a sip of his coffee. “I am,” he said carefully, his eyes never leaving Inuyasha’s. “The question is...would you want to go with me?”

Inuyasha nearly spit his cappuccino across the room. “I’m sorry, sensei,” he said, “but I thought you just said that you want me to go to America with you?”

“Princeton,” Kaita-sensei clarified. “We’d be going to Princeton.”

Inuyasha’s mind was reeling. America? Princeton? 

_America_?

Inuyasha’s mind reeled. He...he couldn’t believe this was happening—that his dream was coming true. He was trying not to breathe too heavily, or excitedly—he needed to keep his reaction even and measured, so that Kaita-sensei wouldn’t think him a total fool.

“When—when would we leave?” he asked carefully.

Kaita shrugged. “Whenever,” he said. “The American school year starts in September, but we can go as soon as our own semester is over. That’s in about three weeks. So, how _would_ you feel about packing up and heading to Princeton with me, Taisho?” Kaita-sensei’s face was very serious. Inuyasha kept his breathing free and easy.

“I...I…” He should be saying yes. He should be saying _fuck, YES_. He should be asking _how soon can we leave?_ , not _when will we leave?_ “Can I think about it?” he finally asked, somewhat lamely.

 _Fuck._ Why was he such a fucking fool? What could be keeping him from saying yes immediately?

Kaita-sensei nodded. “Of course,” he said. “Take the weekend; think it over, and let me know on Monday.”

Inuyasha stood up. “Great,” he said, “thanks.”

“Taisho-kun.” Inuyasha paused before he turned to leave. “You are a very gifted scholar,” Kaita-sensei added. “I don’t want to see your future blighted because of personal inclinations.” He hesitated. “Do you understand what I’m saying, Taisho-kun?” he finished. “Do not allow anyone or anything stand in the way of your dreams. Okay?”

Inuyasha bowed briefly. “I do, Kaita-sensei,” he said, the full awareness of what his mentor was saying washing over him, a sickening wave of nausea as Kaita-sensei’s words hit home. He turned and walked out of the coffee shop at a moderate pace, then took off, running, until he got to the humanities building. He went around to the side of the building, where he wouldn’t be seen, and he bent over and braced the wall with his hands.

He...he was gonna be sick.

And he was. Inuyasha threw up the dorayaki, the cappuccino...he heaved and heaved until his stomach was empty, and when that was done, he continued to dry heave until his stomach was completely contracted and twisted. When the nausea finally passed, he sank down on his haunches and rested his head in his hands.

Kaita-sensei had...just offered him the opportunity of a lifetime. One year at Princeton University. A chance to study with some of the best scholars in the world in his field. And possibly, to _teach_ at one of the most prestigious universities in the world. 

But Kaita-sensei had also implied that Inuyasha would let his personal life get in the way of his dream. 

And _fuck,_ this had been his dream since he was fifteen fucking years old. Study hard. Get through school. Get a good job that would get him the _fuck_ out of Tokyo, and hopefully to America.

Now he had that chance. To make all his dreams come true.

So why did he feel so fucking sick about it?

Kaita-sensei _knew_ ; the whole fucking history department probably knew: he and Kagome were not only dating, but were in a pretty fucking serious relationship. She made him happy; she made him feel whole in a way he’d never thought possible.

But a serious relationship was not something he could afford to have.

Not if he planned to go to America.

And now? Now it looked like a very real possibility.

Inuyasha growled and punched the ground, leaving a fist-sized divot in the earth. He had to go home. To Kagome. To tell her this news. To tell her he was going to America. With Kaita-sensei. To Princeton. For a whole fucking year. 

He’s be apart from her for a whole fucking year.

The bile rose in his throat again; this time, he managed to fight it back down. He lowered himself completely to the ground and sank his head more deeply in his hands. 

Kagome. America. _Kagome_.

_America._

_Fuck._

What the _fuck_ was he going to do?

* * *

Kagome rolled over on the futon and picked up her phone to see the time. Already 1:00.

How had she slept so late? Why did Inuyasha let her sleep so late? She sat straight up in bed and listened carefully for the familiar breathing that she’d gotten used to in the apartment. 

There was nothing. No breathing, no swearing at nothing, no…

No Inuyasha.

Kagome opened her phone, thinking that perhaps she had a missed call, or a text, or something. _Anything_ . Because it wasn’t like Inuyasha to be late coming home from class. He’d mentioned a meeting with Kaita-sensei, but Kagome was pretty sure that was a coffee meeting, and wouldn’t have lasted three hours. And he was definitely not someone who would be late, or lingering, or not call her and let her know where he was. Because _fuck_ , he asked that she let him know when she was running late, and he was diligent about reutrning the favor. She almost always knew where he was; she almost always could pinpoint his exact location, every moment of the day. And while some people might find that limiting, she didn’t mind. She liked that they were so into each other that they had to know where the other person was literally every hour of the day. She liked that they were that close, and that the intimacy between them was an important part of their relationship.

But he was _always_ there when she woke up at his place on Friday mornings. He was _always_ lying beside her on the bed, kissing her lightly, bringing her back to wakefulness slowly, gently, tenderly. 

For all she kept hearing about what a surly, sullen ass he was, Inuyasha had been anything but. And while, sure, it had taken her some time to get him to pay attention to her—she’d had to do her share of the pursuing—in the end, he had come around, and he had noticed her, just as much as she had noticed him.

So anytime he didn’t do what she expected—anytime he wasn’t right by her side, or close by, or where she expected him to be—she got worried.

 _Really_ worried.

Anxiously, Kagome pulled out her phone.

_Where are you? I woke up and you still aren’t back?_

Kagome put the phone down and got up from the futon. She walked over to the desk; her overnight bag was sitting on the chair. She rifled through it and found some clothes, her toiletry bag, and her makeup bag, and went into the bathroom to begin to wash up. Before she did that, though, she checked her phone to see if Inuyasha had replied.

He hadn’t.

Kagome frowned, and went to the laundry room, where she dropped her clothes and her makeup bag at the sink, then padded across the hall to the toilet and the bath. She stripped down, used the toilet, then grabbed a towel from the cabinet and headed into the bath. She set the towel on the tub, then turned on the shower nozzle and allowed the heated water to pour down over her tired body.

 _Gods_ , she was tired. She leaned her head against the tile and stood there, exhausted and near tears. They had spent the night loving and worshiping each other’s bodies; Kagome was still shivering from how Inuyasha’s cock felt buried deep inside her. She thought that...she thought that he loved her? She knew that she loved him. They hadn’t said the words yet—it had only been three months—was it possible to fall in love in three months? 

She was sure that it was.

But yet, neither of them had said it. 

Kagome frowned. Was he afraid of committing to her? Was she afraid of committing to him? Why _hadn’t_ she told him how she felt?

Maybe it was fear, at least a little. She’d been in relationships before; most recently with a handsome, but overbearing, ookami in her master’s program. They’d broken up because he expected her to become a housewife after they got married (yes, they had been talking about that); she wanted to be a university professor. Their goals for the future had been different; their breakup was painful, because she’d wanted it to work, but not at the risk of giving up her dreams.

Inuyasha, though...he was different. He’d been encouraging her, introducing her to the right faculty in the program, helping her make decisions on her classes for the fall semester. He seemed fully supportive of her dreams. And while she didn’t exactly _love_ the idea of him going to the U.S. once he finished his PhD, she also understood that had been his dream for a _long_ time. She had been in his life for three months. America had been a goal of his for fifteen years. So who was she to tell him what to do? In reality, she was a blip on the screen compared to the life that he had lived before she met him. What right did she have to tell him what to do?

The door to the bath opened, and Kagome looked up. “Inu- _Inuyasha_?” she breathed.

He looked like shit. His hair was a mess; his face was blotchy and twisted into an expression Kagome had never seen before. Part anger, part sorrow, part desire. Like he couldn’t decide what he wanted. 

He stood there, in the doorway, looking at her, his golden eyes pained and rough and laden with lust. His body hung limply, as though he was only barely standing on his own.

Something had happened.

Kagome crossed the room, not bothering to turn off the shower, not bothering to grab her towel. She wrapped her arms around him, and he collapsed into her; he pressed his face into the juncture of her throat and her shoulder, and nuzzled the skin there. Kagome could feel the air being sucked in through his nose, and knew that he was inhaling her scent. 

“Inuyasha,” she breathed. He shook his head, and his arms somehow found their way around her shoulders. He was holding her close—so close—and Kagome wasn’t sure why.

“Kagome.” It was more a growl than it was her name, but Kagome didn’t really care. It was a word—or close enough to a word—that she felt as though she might be able to reach him.

“What’s—what’s going on?”

He just hugged her tighter and tighter. Kagome’s heart was beating wildly; her breaths were coming in short, quick spurts; she _had_ to figure out what was going on with him, so she could help him, or at least help him think about how to help himself.

She needed to pull herself together.

“Here,” she whispered, pushing away from him and tilting his head so he was looking her in the eyes. “Why don’t you join me? Showers always make me feel better.” He grunted in response, and Kagome took that as her opportunity. Slowly, carefully, she began to undress him: first his t-shirt, which he allowed her to lift effortlessly over his head. Then, she kneeled down on the hard tile—trying to hold in the wince when her bone hit the ceramic—and undid the button on his jeans, slowly pulling down the zipper. She gripped the waistband of both his pants and his boxers, and gently tugged them down, trying to ignore his cock when it sprung free, because he needed her care. Because something had happened, and Kagome could tell—he needed her love, and her attention, and her affection, first. 

Kagome gathered the fabric around his ankles, and placed one of his hands on her shoulder so that she could support him as he stepped out of his jeans and boxers. She did this for the first side, then the other, then tossed all of his clothing out of the way of the water. It was already soaked from her hugs, and from the water it had already absorbed from the tile; she didn’t want it to take on any more. Inuyasha slipped his hand down her shoulder and gripped her wrist, lightly pulled her to standing. She looked into his face, which was jagged with hurt; his eyes in particular burned with pain, confusion, love...so many conflicting emotions that it was hard for Kagome to get a read on him. Instead of probing, she smiled softly.

“Come on,” she said, and even though he still had her by the wrist, she brought him over to the shower and positioned him under the water. “Stand here,” she said, and he obeyed, turning his face up to the water, allowing it to run down his hair, his cheeks, his nose, his lips. Kagome shook herself free and turned to the edge of the tub, where she kept all her bathing supplies for when she spent the night. She had some lightly scented body wash, and she squirted a bit into her hand, then proceeded to wash him down gently, paying particular attention to his neck, his chest, his arms...anywhere she could give him a gentle massage as she went. For his part, Inuyasha simply stood and allowed her to care for him in the way that she knew he needed. When she pushed at his arm to lift it so she could was the underside, he fell limp in her grip, allowing her to guide his body as she needed to. 

“Can I wash your hair?” she asked him softly, and when he nodded, she directed him to stand under the shower, using one hand to rinse his body, and the other to protect his ears as his hair grew wet. When she was satisfied, she pulled him out from the water, poured a little unscented shampoo in her hands, soaped them up, and then drew his head down so she could reach. She used her nails to lightly scrub his scalp, watching out for his ears, then gathered up his hair and massaged the shampoo into it gently, making sure that she got it all. She then directed him back to the water and rinsed his hair, again careful to make sure that she both got all the soap and avoided his ears. “Conditioner?” she whispered, and when he nodded, she reached for the bottle. He leaned his head forward of his own volition this time, and she carefully massaged in the conditioner, then twisted his hair and set it on top of his head. She slid her hands from his hair to around his neck, then softly pressed her lips to his. He sighed into her mouth, and crushed her to his chest. 

“Kagome,” he breathed, and she hummed a response. He pulled back slightly and rested his forehead against hers. “Thank you,” he whispered. “I needed...I guess I didn’t really know what I needed.”

She tilted her head so that her lips could seek his. She kissed him gently, tenderly, and licked his lips with her tongue. He growled softly and opened his mouth, granting her entrance, and she began to explore him; he tasted minty fresh, like…

“Did you brush your teeth before you came in here?” she asked him, surprised. 

He didn’t answer her, opting instead to press his tongue against hers. Kagome groaned, and felt herself growing weak and heady at the feel of Inuyasha inside her. His tongue unfurled around hers, then began to explore the cavern of her mouth fully. He wrapped his arms around her more tightly, as though he were trying to press her right through his body. Even though he was somewhat sated by her ministrations, Kagome could still feel him shaking, could still feel his fear, his nervousness, his confusion. Every caress of her tongue with his had her worried; every time his claws gently traced her spine, she felt him quiver, and her concern mounted. 

“Inuyasha,” she whispered, pulling away from him. “What’s wrong?”

He tried to kiss her again, but she slipped a finger between their lips. He growled and tried to kiss her, but she tapped her finger against his lips, and he nipped at it in frustration.

“Are you gonna tell me what’s going on?” she asked.

The sadness in his eyes nearly broke her heart. “I—I just need you, Kagome,” he whispered. “Can’t I just say that I missed you today and that I need you?”

The plaintive whimper in his voice nearly broke her heart. How could she deny him anything? 

“You—you can,” she replied, and took his hands from around her back, cupping them to her face. He whined and rubbed the pads of his thumbs over her cheeks; Kagome closed her eyes and took the roughness of his fingers in with her breath. Inuyasha watched her with large, expectant eyes; when she accepted his touch so freely, he audibly sighed. Kagome heard him, and squeezed her hands over his.

“It’s—it’s okay,” she breathed. “You can touch me anywhere you want, you know.” Slowly, gently, she took his hands and brought them down, over her neck, down her shoulders and biceps, then to a rest on her breasts. This time, she squeezed her hands over his, and hissed as his fingers seared the supple skin of her breasts. Inuyasha closed his eyes and leaned forward; Kagome thought at first he might be wanting to kiss her, but instead, his lips went to her neck, where he kissed and nibbled at the delicate skin. His fangs teased her, and she moaned as his claws teased her nipples, drawing them out to hardened pebbles. Her hands roamed his arms, his back, reaching down to lightly stroke his ass. “Inuyasha,” she moaned softly, and he dropped his hands to between her thighs, stroking her gently. His fingers found her entrance, and she shifted so he could slip one finger, then a second, inside of her, his other hand teasing her clit, drawing it out, working her to completion more quickly than she expected. When she cried out his name, her body locked up, the jolts shooting through her from her groin outwards; he continued to scissor her through her orgasm, holding her up with one hand while he felt the quivering of her body from the inside out. It was…

...it was making his dick rock-hard. And the longer he kept his fingers inside her, the more he wanted to replace them with his cock. 

“Kagome,” he whispered. “Can...can I fuck you?”

Kagome reached down and slipped his fingers from inside her. She brought them to her mouth and licked them clean, tasting herself, tasting him. It made her shiver; it made him growl. 

“Yes,” she breathed. She turned around, faced the tile wall, and leaned forward, bracing her hands against the wall, wiggling her ass at him seductively. Inuyasha went over to his jeans, pulled his wallet from the back pocket and removed a condom, then tossed his jeans aside. He tore open the plastic, took out the latex sheath, and tossed the plastic aside too. He quickly rolled the condom down his cock, then stepped into the shower behind Kagome. He adjusted her hips, then held her steady as he lined himself up with her entrance, He teased her for a moment, then pushed into her slowly, both of them breathing out as he adjusted her hips more, and then entered her fully. He leaned over her, one hand still on her hip, the other bracing against the wall beside her. 

“Kagome,” he breathed into her ear. She whined softly and ground back into his hips. He chuckled and began to move against her, his hips now thrusting into her, his cock sliding in and out of her with ease, her muscles gripping him gently, her breasts heaving with the force of their motions. 

He felt...there was something different about him today, Kagome thought. She had detected that he was sad, desperate, something that he wouldn’t explain. But even the sex...the way he was thrusting into her, the way his hips bucked upwards into her—the forcefulness, but also, the tenderness—she couldn’t quite figure out what was happening. She only knew that it was good—damn good—and that her body was responding in a way that she could only describe as equally desperate. She...she wanted him. So fucking much. 

“Inu—Inuyasha,” she panted, the water spraying up all around them, “don’t—don’t stop.”

“Fuck, Kagome,” he grunted, gripping her hips even more tightly, “I couldn’t fucking stop if I wanted to.” 

Kagome may have moaned at that; she shoved her ass back onto his cock, and they both cried out as she bottomed out on him. Kagome’s body immediately seized up; she felt her orgasm building as her walls gripped him tightly. Inuyasha turned his head so he was breathing in her ear; at every thrust into her, he whispered how it felt to be inside her, and Kagome began to try and grip the tile in her desperation. She was climbing a wall, but she wasn’t getting close to the top. She...she needed...something. Something more.

“Inuyasha,” she whispered through gritted teeth, still grinding back on his cock. She felt him shift slightly. “Can you touch me?” she asked softly. 

_What? What? She wanted…what?_

Inuyasha drove his cock into her harder. “Where?” he panted, “where?”

“My breasts,” she whispered. “Touch me there.”

Inuyasha was only too happy to oblige. Her breasts were round, and slapping together as he pounded her from behind. Her hands were firmly planted on the wall; she was in no danger if he let go and paid her body even more attention. So he let go of the wall and his fingers immediately began playing with her nipples; instantly, he felt her lower half start to freeze, and her walls begin to tighten. 

Her nipples had been just the thing that she needed to set her over the edge. Kagome cried out as he twisted the hardened flesh and let it spring back to its natural shape. He felt...so good...so bad...and his cock was hot and hard; she could feel him right through the latex. She instantly thought of him fucking her without a condom, and the thought turned her on so much that her walls clamped down on him completely, and she gripped the wall as hard as she could, calling his name and dipping her head low in her ecstasy.

Because...that’s what it was. As she felt Inuyasha still fucking her from behind, carrying her through her orgasm, she knew...this was...this was as good as she would ever feel. As much as she ever wanted to feel. And she also knew...she never wanted to feel it with anyone else. 

She...she loved him. And she was sure that he loved her, in return.

Kagome moaned lowly, her orgasm toppling her over, her forehead flush with the tile wall, her body quaking. She felt Inuyasha grunt and pull her completely to his hips, where he let loose a loud growl and a string of dirty words as he emptied into the condom. Kagome sighed, resting her whole face against the tile wall, both their bodies twitching as they came down from their highs. 

At long last, Kagome felt him slip out of her; Inuyasha turned her to him and pressed her gently to his chest. Kagome rested there for a moment, the water warm and cozy, his body strong and supple and protective. She raised her head so their eyes could meet; he seemed calmer, somehow, although his golden eyes still swirled with trepidation. Maybe… maybe…

Maybe he wanted to say it too?

“Inuyasha?” she said tentatively. He hummed and kissed her nose gently. 

“I...I love you.”

He blinked; his face froze just centimeters from hers. Kagome searched his eyes, but they were unreadable. 

“I...I…” he was having trouble forming words. Kagome smiled at him, hopefully indulgently, and not annoyingly.

“Kaita-sama offered me a chance to go with him to Princeton for a year,” he blurted out instead. “We would leave in a few weeks, when the semester is over.”

Kagome blinked at him, her mouth open, saying nothing.

What...what the _fuck_ had just happened?

* * *

Warmth, comfort, happiness.

Kagome was...all of these things to him, and more.

And now, buried in her heat, his mouth so close to her beautiful little ear, he could whisper to her just how beautiful she was, just how good it felt to fuck her, just how tight and hot her pussy was.

And the talk was making him burn hotter for her, was making him almost forget the shit that had happened earlier that day. When she orgasmed, her soft cries were so sensual that he had to pull her closer to him and thrust into her forcefully until he was able to follow her into oblivion. Kagome’s face was pressed into the tile as he filled the condom; he found himself almost sighing, wishing that he could come inside her, instead. He rested his face against her shoulder and the crook of her neck, feeling his body twitching inside of her, feeling her pulse all around him. Even post-orgasm, they were still moving in perfect harmony. 

That was why...that was why…

He pulled out of her heat reluctantly. Slowly, Inuyasha turned Kagome to him and pressed her into his chest. He enjoyed the feel of her there: the gentle hum of her heartbeat, the soft sighs of her breath. She felt so good, even just in his arms. When she tilted her head up to meet hers, she sighed; he searched her eyes expectantly. What was she going to say…

“Inuyasha,” she breathed. “I love you.”

_OH NO._

_Shit. Fuck. Damn. SHIT._

How...how could he tell her?

Well, of course he fucking loved her. He fucking loved her so much it hurt. Like, his heart literally ached for her. His body sang when she was near. _She made his fucking youki purr_.

But yet...if he was going to confess something like this to her, she needed to know the whole story. No secrets. No lies. 

_Yes_ , he decided. _Be straightforward._

And somehow, all of that still came out fucking wrong.

“Kaita-sama offered me a chance to go with him to Princeton for a year,” he yelped. “We would leave in a few weeks, when the semester is over.”

Kagome pulled away from him, and stood there, blinking, her mouth gaping. 

Finally, after a long, dreadful moment, she spoke. “It—you’re… _what_?” It was clear to him: she didn’t know what to say. And that was all his fucking fault.

“No,” he said. Her reaction was not what he expected; her garbled reaction was not one that he could handle. But he—he didn’t know what else to do. If she loved him (which she apparently did), then she should accept all of him, as it stood, and that included the trip to the States and a year apart. He needed her to know that he was all-in, and that included telling her _everything_.

But when he actually confessed it to her, he noticed that her voice suddenly got quieter, and that her eyes grew far away. 

_Fuck. Fuck_.

He was even a bigger shit than he thought.

“Ka—Kagome,” he started. She threw his hands away and left the water from the shower nozzle still going. _Shit_. 

“Kagome, wait,” he pleaded, trying to grab her hands, but missing.

“What do you _want_ , Inuyasha?” she snapped, her hands clutching her hair and attempting to wring it out. “What is _wrong with you?_ ”

Inuyasha stopped and looked at her, dumbfounded. “N—Nothing’s wrong with me,” he said. “I—I just—” _fuck_. How to tell her he was so fucking sorry, but also, that this was also something he desperately needed to tell her, because he could say “I love you.”

Because to him, confessing to her that he was going to America, and that he’d be gone for a whole fucking year? That _was_ a love confession. Because before he said those three words, he needed her to know everything; he needed her to know that he was thinking of leaving, yes, but all she had to do was say the word, and he would stay. He would stay by her side, and only her side, because fuck, he really did love her, and _fuck_ , he didn’t care what Kaita-sensei or anyone else had to say about his career and his personal life. 

Kagome turned away from him and picked up the towel from the lip of the tub. She tossed her hair forward and began to rub it dry, still totally silent. Inuyasha simply stood, under the running shower nozzle, and stared at her.

“You need to rinse your hair,” she finally said, and he jumped, then instantly obeyed, untwisting his hair from the bun and starting to run his fingers through it, getting rid of the conditioner. He stood there, his eyes closed, tears pricking at the corner of his eyes. 

He was a shit. There was no other way to describe himself.

“Ka—Kagome,” he started, but a harsh look from her steely gray eyes caused him to instantly shut up. His gold eyes stayed fixed on hers; his ears swiveled around to focus solely on her.

Slowly, she finished toweling her hair, then wrapped the towel around her body. She picked up the second towel from the tub and tossed it to him. “There you go,” she said when he caught it, “get yourself cleaned up. We wouldn’t want you to be late for your flight to New York.” She tucked her towel in more tightly, then left the bath. Inuyasha heard her go into the washroom, and he heard the pocket door close, then click shut.

She’d locked herself in.

Inuyasha sighed and toweled off his hair, then wrapped it around his hips. If only...if only he could make her understand. 

Why had he said it to her in that way? Why not just tell her he loved her first, _then_ tell her about Kaita-sensei’s offer?

Because as usual, he was fucking shit with words. He’d done what he thought was best, and it was anything but. He’d tried to tell her how he felt, but he’d just fucked everything up. Again.

Inuyasha left the bath and listened at the door to the washroom. He could hear Kagome puttering around; he could smell the scent of her tears. His ears pressed back into his skull; he may have whimpered. Because the last thing that he wanted to do was hurt her, and that was _exactly_ what he had fucking done. He ran into the bedroom, grabbed a pair of sweats and pulled them on, then went back into the hallway to sit on his haunches outside the washroom and wait for her to get out. It was like she could sense that he was out there, because she was _not_ coming out. Inuyasha growled softly. 

“Kagome,” he called softly, “Kagome.” When she didn’t reply, he raised his voice a little. “Kagome?” he called. “Please, koishii. Please talk to me. I’m so fucking sorry. I didn’t mean—I didn’t want it to sound like—”

“Like I confessed that I love you, and you want to get six thousand miles away from me?” The door had flown open, and Kagome was standing above him, her blue-black hair plastered to her head, her tank top askew, and her face streaked with tear tracks. 

“I...I…” he couldn’t answer her. Because she was exactly right. “I’m sorry,” he said instead.

Kagome sighed, and sank down onto her own haunches, across from Inuyasha. She reached forward and lightly cupped his cheek; Inuyasha closed his eyes and nuzzled her palm. He heard her breath hitch, and then she sighed again, and was silent.

“Can...can I ask you something?” she asked. When he nodded, his amber eyes fixed entirely on her, she spoke again. “Do you...do you love me?” she asked, her cheeks pinking adorably; her eyes cast down. He growled again, because _fuck_ , look at what he had done to her now.

“Kagome.” His voice was rough, and drew Kagome’s gaze back upwards to meet his. He closed his eyes just briefly, and then looked back up to her. “I am so fucking in love with you that I can’t see or think or talk straight.” She gave a tiny gasp; he paused. “I...I thought that because I had gotten that offer that...that should be the first thing that I tell you? That I finally got my offer, but I have no desire to take Kaita-sensei up on it, but also that I….” How could he tell her this?

“That I just want to be here. With you.” Her eyes widened, and stormy gray swirled with surprise and shock. He smiled softly, and she breathed out. He reached forward and slowly took her hands in his. “You know how I feel about you.” She nodded. “You also know that I struggle a little with words.” She snorted, but didn’t say anything, which he appreciated, and he chuckled a little. “Maybe a lot,” he added, and her eyebrow raised, but she was still silent. “And maybe I didn’t...maybe I didn’t handle this so well?” 

Kagome’s eyebrow arched even higher. “ _Maybe_?” she asked. 

His ears drooped. “I didn’t handle it so well,” he whispered, but his face lit up as hers softened. “And maybe...I’m so fucking sorry,” he continued, in the same whisper. “I’m so sorry for everything.” He stood up, but Kagome gripped his hand, and he looked down at her in surprise. She tugged herself to standing. 

“Bedroom,” she said, and started off down the hall, still grasping his hand, Inuyasha following after her like a trained puppy. She opened the pocket door, stepped into the bedroom, still pulling Inuyasha after her. She closed the door, then led him to the futon, which was still set up from where Kagome had been sleeping. “Lay down,” she ordered, and he did, now thoroughly confused. Once he was settled, she lay down next to him, and snuggled into his side. Inuyasha’s arms automatically went around her and pulled her in close. “Why are we here?” he murmured in her ear.

“Because you’re better with words when we’re in bed,” she whispered back. He laughed and nuzzled her neck. She was so fucking right; he couldn’t believe it. 

“Now,” she continued, in that same whisper, “tell me what’s on your mind.”

He turned her head so that they were facing each other. He leaned forward, and kissed her, gently, tenderly, slowly. “I love you, Higurashi Kagome,” he said softly, his claws tickling her arms. She giggled and kissed him back, lightly, playfully. He let out a tiny growl and nipped at her; she giggled again and offered him a tiny kiss. 

“Fuck, Kagome,” he sighed, “I love you so fucking much.”

“And I love you, Taisho Inuyasha,” she murmured. “Now tell me about America.”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” he murmured back, his lips pressing to hers. “I just want to kiss you.”

“But no kisses until we _do_ talk about it,” she replied quietly. “Because I need to know what happened today.”

Inuyasha pushed away from her and rolled onto his back, tucking his hands behind his neck and staring at the ceiling. Kagome rested her head on his shoulder; one hand dropped from behind Inuyasha’s neck and wrapped leisurely around her shoulders. He took a deep breath, drawing strength from Kagome’s slow and even breathing.

“I—I had coffee with Kaita-sensei after my class today,” he said to her. “You know that.”

“I do,” she replied, the pads of her fingers tracing the lines of his pecs. 

“He—he told me that he got an invitation to go to Princeton next year,” he said, “to teach and to guest lecture.” 

“That sounds amazing,” Kagome replied, “but I don’t know what that has to do with you.”

“Everything, ‘Gome,” he said, “everything.” He closed his eyes briefly, let out a breath, and kept talking.

“He—he asked if I would like to go too. I would get to take classes at Princeton. Study English. Teach a class. It would—it would be—” He found that he could no longer say that this would be the opportunity of a lifetime, because _Kagome_ was the opportunity of a lifetime. Wherever she went, that was where he wanted to be. Because he couldn’t bear, again, to be without her by his side.

“It—it sounds like an incredible opportunity,” Kagome said in a quiet voice. “Why on earth would you not want to take advantage of it?”

“Because,” Inuyasha burst out in a strained voice, “because I can’t be without you, Kagome!” Kagome looked at him, surprised, as his face twisted, as his canines elongated, and as his eyes transitioned from golden to red. This was one of the few times she had seen him lose himself to his youkai instincts, and while she had to admit that this was turning her on (the _fangs_! What they could _do_ to her!), it was also scaring her a little. Not because of him, or fear of him...no. Fear of the future, though? Absolutely.

Kagome sat up and cupped his face with her hands. “Breathe, Inuyasha,” she whispered. “It’s okay; _you’re_ okay. I’m here; you’re here; we’re here, together. Please, breathe.”

Inuyasha took a few breaths, and Kagome watched as his eyes slowly changed back to gold, and his canines shortened. She kept her hands where they were, until he was breathing normally again, and she felt he was back to normal. Then she settled back into his side; he held her a little bit closer.

“I told Kaita-sensei that I would think on this,” he said in the next moment. “We—you and I—need to talk more specifically about what this would mean for our relationship. For _us_.”

“You—you wouldn’t want us to break up?” she asked incredulously.

“Fuck no!” he swore, so loudly that she jumped. When he saw her trepidation, his face softened. “I’m sorry,” he said. “It—I just—I can’t be without you, Kagome.” He paused; he was repeating himself; he was starting to spiral. “I don’t want to go,” he declared boldly. “I don’t want to be anywhere that you’re not.”

The whole time, Kagome just stared at him, blinking, trying to take in his words, his countenance, trying to read him. Did he really—was he really—

Was he ready to give up his dreams? For _her_?

“Inuyasha,” she said quietly. His ears instantly turned to her; one eyebrow raised. “You—you need to think about this carefully.” When his golden eyes glared at her, she kept her voice soft. “This has been your dream for half your life,” she murmured. “I don’t want you to throw this opportunity away because you don’t want to leave me.”

“Fuck that!” he replied immediately, “do you even _know_ how much you mean to me? Like, you say the words ‘I love you,’ Kagome, but do you even know what that means? What that means to _me_? To have someone tell me that they love me? Do you know the last time someone said that to me?” When she simply stared at him, he kept going. “My mother. My mother was the last person to say she loved me. Before she died.”

“Inuyasha,” Kagome said.

“No, Kagome.” He was definitely spiraling, and he didn’t give a _fuck_. “I was seven years old when I lost my mom. My dad died right after I was born. I was raised by my father’s mentor, who was the only person willing to take me in. But an ancient demon is no match for a surly hanyou with parent issues and who thinks the world is against him. I ran away, I started fights, I stole...I did whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted.”

“So what happened then?” Kagome asked quietly. She knew he was a loner, and grouchy, but...petty theft? Fights? It was hard to wrap her head around it. 

“Totosai-ojiji sent me to a boarding school,” he said. “A school for youkai and hanyou—a chance for me to be with others like me, with the hopes that I’d stop getting into fights.”

“Did it work?” 

“Sort of,” he admitted. “It’s hard to start fights when people can hold their own against you. And it’s hard to skip school when the teachers can scent you out.” He laughed. “Kaede-sensei was my history teacher. She was a real obaba, you know? But I liked her, and for some reason, she liked me.” He shrugged. “Her history classes were the only things that I looked forward to every day; it was Kaede-sensei who suggested I go to college and study history.

“So, I buckled down. I studied. I stopped fighting. I stopped letting the other youkai goad me. Because as a hanyou, I wasn’t like them; I wasn’t someone that they wanted to spend time with. And even the other hanyou...they took one look at my ears and immediately said, nope. But I didn’t care. I was there to learn, to take classes, to get through to the big prize, which was college.” He frowned. “And I got in, and I studied, and I got into the graduate program here. I thought I was happy, but I wasn’t.” He lifted her flush with him and kissed her, long, soft, and wondrous. He enjoyed the way that her lips yielded to him, the way that her body rested against him, the soft lilt of her voice when she answered him...she knew.

“I think...I think that we should not rush to any decisions until we’ve had a few days to think this over, Inuyasha,” Kagome murmured, kissing him lightly as he growled beneath her. He tugged at her pants, and she giggled. “Be serious,” she added, still kissing him, “I want you to really take some time to think about this. Don’t be rash. This is an awesome chance you’re being given...to let your dreams come true.”

“You’re my dream, Kagome,” he whispered, nipping at her cheeks, her neck...whatever skin was uncovered and free for him to tease. She moaned softly as his fangs found her tank top strap.

“ _Inuyasha_ ,” she moaned, “we just got dressed.”

Inuyasha tugged at her tank top until she submitted and lifted her arms so he could remove it. He tossed it aside, and then with a few flicks, her bra hooks were undone and she eagerly helped him remove it. Inuyasha hissed as he saw her breasts break free from their bindings; he wrapped his arms around her and pressed her to him, relishing the feel of her chest against his.

“We can always get dressed again,” he whispered, and he felt Kagome soft sighs of agreement.

 _Yes,_ he thought as he slipped her leggings and panties down the length of her body, _my dream is right here. No need to go anywhere else._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So will Inuyasha go to America? Or will he stay with Kagome? Stay tuned for the next update, which will be in just a few days!! And as always, thanks everyone for reading!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome senses something is wrong with Inuyasha, and takes swift action.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, or any of the characters from the manga and/or anime.
> 
> Hello everyone! I hope that wherever you are, you're safe and well.
> 
> Welcome to the next chapter of I've Got My Eye on you! In this chapter, Kagome can tell something isn't right with Inuyasha, and she goes leaps into action. 
> 
> Thanks so much for all the comments on Chapter 2! You have gotten me to do some thinking, so please make sure you read the end note here!

Kagome was worried.

It had been a week since she dropped Inuyasha off at Narita Airport; a week since she last kissed his lips and said goodbye; a week since she had felt him pulsing inside her, bringing her body to delicious heights of completion. One week since he had promised to text her when he landed; one week since he had promised FaceTime and Zoom; one week since she had reassured him that she was not going anywhere, that his belongings were safe with her, and that she would miss him desperately, but that she refused to be the thing standing between him and his dreams.

One week since Inuyasha had gone to America.

At first, when Kagome insisted that he go, oh, how he had fought her. He had wanted to stay by her side; she knew he was terrified of losing her, of losing _them_. And even after he committed to going, he’d been attached to her side like a puppy, anxious for her attention and for her love, which she had freely given. Their friends (okay, _her_ friends) had been shocked by the change in the grumpy hanyou, but when Kagome explained that he was going overseas for a year, and that they would be doing long-distance, their faces lit up with recognition.

Inu youkai don’t do well separated from their loved one, after all, and Inuyasha was exhibiting many of the behaviors of one about to leave his mate.

 _Mate._ That word came up several times in conversation, especially with Sango, who seemed to know an inordinate amount about youkai? If Inuyasha had chosen Kagome as a mate, Sango explained, he would be especially attached to her, and it would be especially hard for him to leave her.

But the only problem with that argument was that Inuyasha could barely tell her he loved her, and sure, he was affectionate and needed her and all that, but that word? _Mate_? It had _never_ come up in conversation. Not even once.

And now Kagome sat at the chabudai, a movie playing softly in the background, staring at her phone. What should she do? It had been a week. Surely that was enough time for him to adjust? She didn’t think he would break up with her like this...she didn’t think that America was a ploy to get away from her…..no.

Something...something was _very_ wrong.

She sat there with Whatsapp open. He was online; she could see that he was online. 

_Hey. Are you all settled?_

She sent the text, and waited, her thumbs running gently over the screen.

When one minute, then two, then five went by, Kagome sighed, and got up to go into the kitchen. She grabbed a beer, some chips, then settled herself back at the chabudai. She opened her screen, and saw that he had written back.

 _It’s fine_.

That was it. No, _hey Kagome!_ Or _hey, koishii_ , or anything like that. 

There was nothing happy in that text. _It’s fine_ was not enough for Kagome.

_Can we voice? Or go on Skype? Or something? I miss you._

Silence again. Kagome was...she was shaking. What in all the hells was going on?

Then, her phone pinged, and she looked at it again.

 _Can’t. Busy tonight_.

Kagome growled and picked up her phone, about to crush it between her fingers. She rose and started to pace the length of the washitsu. How… _How dare he_. 

She was so fucking worried that she could barely see straight. She was so scared that she was losing him, that he was slipping away into the world of Princeton, of America...a world she could not touch, a world she knew nothing about. 

And a world that didn’t include her.

Oh, _gods_. Had she been an idiot to push him to go? Had she been an idiot to think this would be fine? Because it had only been a week, and already she felt sick to her stomach about letting him go. 

A final ping, and she slowly, slowly held up her phone one last time. The text read:

_Let’s talk tomorrow, okay? We can video chat if you want. I...I miss you too._

Kagome let out a whoosh of air. If anything, that text worried her more than all the other texts combined, for some reason.

But deep down, she knew exactly why. Because Inuyasha had...admitted that he missed her. After all the silence, and the short texts, now he was...admitting that he did, in fact, miss her, and he did, in fact, want to video chat. 

She texted him back: _Okay. You know when I’ll be home. Send me a link for an invite. I can’t wait to see you_.

She looked at the time; nearly midnight his time. She hadn’t even thought about the fact that it was only one in the afternoon here before she got her beer. Kagome sighed again. She kept forgetting that he was behind her by half a day. It was midnight Friday there; Saturday afternoon for her. 

What could she do to pass the time until he was ready to chat? She looked at the pile of quizzes, waiting to be graded. 

_Well,_ she thought, reluctantly pulling the stack of papers over to her and unzipping her bag to get a colored pen, _at least Inuyasha being gone means that I will be able to stay ahead on my work._

* * *

The conversations with Inuyasha went back and forth like this for the better part of the first few months. He was evasive via text, then would gush that he wanted to talk to her, only to say barely anything during their (what had become weekly) video chats. It was...it was driving her crazy. She couldn’t figure him out: was he being purposefully evasive? Did he genuinely miss her? Was he just going through the motions? Had he already tired of her, but didn’t know how to let her go? 

Fuck it all, she didn’t know. And her friends were no help; Sango just brushed it off as “typical Taisho Inuyasha weirdness” and encouraged her to come out to the izakaya and maybe meet a new (read: less surly) guy. But Kagome just couldn’t. She couldn’t forget him, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was very, very wrong. 

She’d heard from Tanaka-sensei that Kaita-sensei’s trip was a great success thus far; he had just given his first lecture on Japanese-American relations, and that it was a massive hit. But when Kagome tried to press Tanaka-sensei on Inuyasha, she simply shrugged her shoulders and said that she had not heard anything about Kaita-sensei’s protégé student. Instead, all the focus was on Kaita-sensei, and how awesome he was, and on how popular his classes and his lectures were shaping up to be. There was already a proposal to keep him in America past the current academic year. The thought of Inuyasha being gone for two years, instead of one...it made her physically ill to imagine that.

But she couldn’t broach the subject with him; not in their texts, and not in their weekly Saturday night video chats. That was the best time for Inuyasha to talk; early Saturday mornings held little for him to do, and so it was a perfect chance for them to catch up. But Kagome tried to avoid anything that would upset him; it had been hard enough to get him to agree to a weekly meeting that she didn’t dare broach more delicate subjects. 

For their weekly chat, about three months after he left, Kagome excitedly got her tablet and set it up on the chabudai. She opened the video app, and looked for his invitation. She clicked on it eagerly, and busied herself settling down while she waited for the video to connect. 

“Kagome?” said a familiar, gruff voice, and Kagome whipped her head around from her laptop, where she’d been getting a movie ready to play on the television. “Inu—Inuyasha!” she exclaimed, happy to see him. 

He smiled wanly. “Hey, koishii,” he said tiredly. Kagome stopped, and stared.

Inuyasha was a _mess_.

His hair was knotted, and not brushed. His ears were droopy; his normally vibrant golden eyes were dull and listless. His face looked ashen. 

“Inu—Inuyasha,” Kagome breathed. 

“I’m okay,” he said quickly. “I’m really okay.”

“You don’t _look_ okay,” she pointed out archly.

“Really, Kagome,” he protested, his tone sharp. “I’m _fine_.”

“When was the last time you brushed your hair, Inuyasha?” she asked him. “The last time you ate? Gods, the last time you _slept_?”

He frowned. “I eat,” he said. “And I slept...yesterday?” His voice faltered a little bit there. “Everything’s _fine_.” 

Kagome took a deep breath and counted to five. When she exhaled, she spoke again. “How are classes? How is Kaita-sensei?”

“Fine.” His voice was flat again.

“And Kaita-sensei?” Her tone was soft, probing; she wanted to know more.

“Also fine.”

Kagome sighed. How was she going to get through to him?

“What have you been up to?”

His eyes drifted away from hers; he seemed to be looking at something off camera. “Just hanging out,” he said ambiguously, still not meeting her gaze. 

“ _Inuyasha_.” At that, his eyes snapped back to hers. 

“Everything’s great, Kagome,” he said. But his listless tone told her that it wasn’t.

Kagome growled; Inuyasha visibly jumped. “Ka—Kagome?” he said tentatively.

Kagome leaned into the tablet. “Why are you being so fucking evasive?” she demanded. “Do you—are you—do you have someone else there right now?”

“What?” he shouted. “Holy fuck, Kagome, what does that even mean?”

“It means that you are being super cagey, you look like shit, and...I don’t know, Inuaysha!” she exclaimed. “I don’t know what’s going on with you!”

“Nothing is going on,” he insisted, but his eyes were so sad that she couldn’t even stand it.

“Fine,” she said. “Whatever.” She stood up, taking the tablet with her. 

“Where are we going?” he asked her through the screen.

“I’m going to pack a bag,” she told him. “I’ll see you in two days.”

“What?” he exclaimed.

“You’re in trouble, and I’m on my way,” she replied.

“You’re not coming all the way here,” he protested.

“Fuck that,” she said, “I’m packing my bag, and then I’m going to look at flights.”

“Kagome,” he said, “you can’t.”

“Oh,” she said, now looking directly into the tablet, “I can, and I will. So stop fighting me, and be happy that you’re going to see me.”

“You don’t have any money.” Now he was going to try a different tactic.

“I have a credit card,” she said, “and a job. I will figure it out. I’m hanging up, and I’ll see you in Princeton as soon as I can get there.” She paused. “I love you. Don’t forget that.” And she ended the call.

Kagome set down her tablet, went into her closet, and dug out her overnight bag. She was going to travel light; she was going to get to Princeton as fast as she could. 

Because she knew, she could tell...Inuyasha needed her.

And she planned on being there for him.

* * *

Inuyasha rolled over on his mattress and looked at his phone. _2:53_. He sighed, set his phone back on the nightstand, and rolled over to look at the ceiling. 

Three months into his American adventure, and it sucked, and he wanted to go home. 

Not that he would ever tell anyone.

Inuyasha turned his head slightly to look out his bedroom window. His bedroom faced Nassau Street, and even at this late hour, he could still hear the tinkling of voices as people trickled home from the downtown bars and restaurants, and maybe a few late-night parties. He growled softly, then tilted his head back to the ceiling.

He wished that he could have said that America—that _Princeton_ —was a good experience to start with. But it wasn’t. Kaita-sensei had taken him to a party welcoming them to the university, and then had immediately dropped him, leaving Inuyasha to stand around, looking awkward, while a bunch of grad students openly gaped at him. That was when he had realized: he was the _only one_ there with dog ears. And, looking around more critically, he realized that he was not only the only hanyou; he was the only _youkai_. 

No one had told him that Princeton was a (relatively) youkai-free school. In fact, he and Kagome had looked it up before he told Kaita-sensei that yes, he would go to Princeton with him. They went to campusyoukai.com, a Web site for a non-profit that assessed colleges and universities’ commitment to youkai well-being. And Princeton had ranked pretty high—they even had a local Youkai Center! 

But apparently, how a school looks on paper? Not always how it is in reality.

So that first night, he’d spent most of the time just being stared at. Eventually, a few of the grad students tried to talk to him, but they were shushed by the other, more vocal, members of the graduate students history department crew, leaving Inuyasha to fend for himself most days. He also found that Kaita-sensei had been a little overenthusiastic in promising what Inuyasha would be able to do. He wasn’t teaching; they hadn’t had a class for him, and said that perhaps the following semester there would be one available. Classes were okay; he had a hard time understanding his professors, even with his years of English study. He had access to the library; he had access to all the amazing Revolutionary War sites around the campus. And he had traveled to them, taking in the sight of the Princeton Battlefield, looking at the exact place where George Washington crossed the Delaware at Washington Crossings State Park, visiting the Trenton Barracks...he got to do all of this, but he couldn’t help but shake the feeling that these visits would have been better with someone by his side.

With _Kagome_ by his side.

But how could he tell her that they’d been wrong? That this had been a terrible idea, and that he wanted to come home, more than anything else? How could he ever forgive himself for thinking that this was something that he could do? That _America_ was a place where he fit in, where he belonged? 

He couldn’t tell her. Nope. He was gonna stick it out here, for the full year, and then he would go home, and curl up in her lap, and let her stroke his ears and whisper sweet nothings to him, while he wrapped his arms around her and became ensconced in her scent.

So the video call they’d had the other day? After he’d had a positively shit day and couldn’t tell her, but she somehow knew anyway? (Because of course she fucking did. Because Kagome knew everything about him.) She’d told him to hang on, that she was coming to Princeton, and that he had better be ready for her. 

And now who the _fuck_ knew where Kagome was; that had been three days ago, and he hadn’t heard from her since. She wasn’t returning his phone calls; she wasn’t answering his texts. For all he knew, she’d gotten kidnapped or something—all because she felt like he needed saving.

Which was probably what he did need, but he wasn’t gonna give her the satisfaction of being right.

Suddenly, his phone buzzed, and Inuyasha rolled over to see who could possibly be texting at...3 in the morning now?

_Can you come open the door? A girl could freeze out here. Plus, it’s awfully late._

The grin that crossed his face; the howl that ripped from his throat; the glee with which he bounded through the tiny apartment to the door? They were all limitless. He undid the locks swiftly, and threw open the door.

She looked ragged, like she hadn’t slept in days. 

Like she had just flown halfway around the world. 

“Hi,” she said, offering him a small, sheepish smile.

“Hi,” he said back, his smile huge and impossibly happy. He held out his arms, and Kagome jumped into them, her overnight bag clattering to the ground in the door frame. Her legs wrapped around his waist; he buried his face in her neck and inhaled, deeply, his first breath of her in months and he wanted to take huge gulps of her, so that he’d never be without her again.

With Kagome still in his arms, Inuyasha bent down and picked up her overnight bag. He stepped out of the door frame, kicked the door closed, and didn’t even bother to lock it as he carried her and her bag to the bedroom.

As he laid her down gently on the bed, he felt a slight tug on his shoulders, begging him to join her. Inuyasha chuckled, then put her bag down at the foot of the bed. He crawled into bed beside her, and pulled the blankets up around them. She immediately snuggled into his side, and he held her close, maybe more closely than he had ever held her before.

“Kagome,” he breathed, “how did you…?”

“Sleep, Inuyasha,” she murmured, playing a kiss on his bare chest. “Tomorrow I’ll tell you everything. Just...just now...hold me, please.” A beat. “I missed you,” she added.

“Oh _gods_ , koishii,” he whispered. “Oh gods, I missed you too.”

“You better have,” came the sleepy reply. “Don’t want to think you’ve been off meeting other girls.”

“No girls,” he whispered onto her hair. “Just you. Only you.”

Kagome mumbled something incoherent, and Inuyasha pressed her close, just reveling in the sweetness and the glory that was Kagome.

Tonight, they rest. Tomorrow, she would tell him everything.

Because she was _here_ : she was lost in his arms, he was lost in her scent, and that was all that mattered. 

Inuyasha hugged her closer so that she wouldn’t be able to detect the tears forming in the corners of his eyes. 

* * *

Kagome’s eyes blinked open to bright sunshine streaming through the lone window in the bedroom. She could hear voices coming from somewhere nearby; perhaps it was the street? She tried to get up so she could look out the window, but a set of strong arms had her locked in place. Kagome started for a moment, then remembered:

She was in America. In Princeton.

She was with _Inuyasha_ again.

Kagome sighed happily and snuggled back into her hanyou boyfriend, who she had missed so much she’d flown halfway around the world to be with him. And now, feeling his arms around him, feeling his breath, hot and moist, on her neck, for the first time in weeks, Kagome felt safe, she felt secure, she felt like she was home.

Thousands of miles away from her apartment, away from everyone she knew: Kagome felt at _home_.

A nuzzle of her ear brought her back to reality. “Morning, ‘Gome,” said a gruff voice that was extra-husky with sleep.

Kagome ground her ass back into his hips, and he nipped her ear in response. “Morning,” she replied softly. “Did you miss me or something?”

Inuyasha pressed his face into her neck and began to lap at the skin there. “Oh, koishii,” he breathed, now teasing the flesh with his fangs, “you have _no_ fucking idea.”

Kagome broke free of his grip and rolled over to face him. “Why don’t you show me, then?” she asked, and cuddled up next to him as she pressed her lips to his.

And in the moment, all the love, all the agony of the separation, all Inuyasha’s misery and Kagome’s concern—they all poured into that kiss, and both Inuyasha and Kagome groaned in response to the feelings that were evoked. They were together, and nothing was going to separate them again. They each felt this, deep in the cores of their beings, deep in the recesses of their minds. As they kissed, they felt their souls slowly being knitted back together; they felt themselves becoming one again. 

Kagome broke the kiss first; she needed to be able to look deeply into Inuyasha’s golden eyes; she needed to know that he was there, that he was real, and that she wasn’t dreaming his lips were against hers. The gentleness in his eyes told her everything that she needed to know. 

“Inuyasha,” she whispered, reaching up and tucking a strand of silver hair out of his eyes. He smiled, and tried to kiss her again, but she remained just out of his reach.

“I—I missed you,” she said softly. 

“I missed you too,” he replied immediately.

She reached down and pulled off her t-shirt; he whined audibly at the sight of her bare skin, her pale pink bra, her breasts, heaving slightly as she breathed. “How much did you miss me?” she asked him. “Because...because I _really, really_ missed you.”

Inuyasha lowered his face between her breasts and inhaled, gently; she smelled of sweat and musk and like she’d been traveling for days, but he didn’t care. Deep down, her natural scent—the vanilla and the sakura—was still there, and he closed his eyes as he relished being this close to her skin again.

Kagome reached down and shimmied out of her leggings and her underwear, leaving her bra as the only clothing she was wearing. “I want you, Inuyasha,” she panted, and drew him back up for a long, deep, languid kiss. Because it was true: she _did_ want him. She _had_ missed him. And they would have all the time in the world to talk. Right now, her body ached for his. When he pressed his fingers between her thighs and sought out the bundle of nerves they both knew would make her sing, she thought: this is what we both need. We need...to feel, to live, to love, for each other, with each other, just as we had been doing. She yanked at his sweatpants, and he shook his hips so that she could pull them down his body; he tugged at them with his feet to get them the rest of the way off. When Kagome felt his cock, large and already thrumming with need for her, she felt herself immediately growing wet. 

She...she needed him. In the worst way. 

Kagome gripped the shaft of his dick in one hand, and slowly began to massage it with the pad of her thumb. He hissed loudly, and his fingers worked her over more harshly, both of them moaning as they each felt the dampness of the other. Kagome spread the precum from his cock over the head; Inuyasha dipped his fingers inside her and rubbed her juices around her entrance. 

“You’re so ready for me, Kagome,” he whispered. “I can’t believe how ready you are for me.”

Kagome shifted her hips and moaned softly under his touch. “Of course I’m ready,” she breathed. “I haven’t seen you in months, and look at how you’re touching me. How could I not want you in me, like right away?”

Inuyasha growled and rolled Kagome onto her back. “Condom,” he said suddenly, disappointedly. He hadn’t even thought about sex since he’d left; why would he have any condoms around?

Kagome giggled. “My bag; side zipper,” she directed, and he immediately dropped to the edge of the bed and leaned over. He unzipped the side, and found a box of condoms there. He looked up at her, his eyes bright, and she grinned, because _of fucking course_ she would come prepared.

Inuyasha ripped apart the box, grabbed a condom, tore the packaging open, and rolled down his cock. He turned back to her; Kagome immediately opened her legs and hooked them around his hips, drawing him into her. He kissed her, deep and hard, and pressed into her, his cock singing as it was welcomed into Kagome’s moist heat.

Oh, the feeling of him inside of her once again! It was almost more than she could take. She softly cried out his name, over and over, as he rested against her, allowing her to once again get used to his cock, which was hard and pulsing with need. When she ground her hips against his, he took that as a cue to move, and Kagome cried out again as he slowly began to thrust into her; she could feel every part of him, moving in every part of her, and she was burning up, hotter than the sun, brighter than the stars, more glorious than the brightest sunrise over the darkest part of the sky.

He was _here_. He was inside of _her_. And for Kagome? That was everything.

Inuyasha scented her tears, and immediately pressed his tongue to her cheek, lapping them up, tasting the salt, mixed with her own sweet taste, and he realized: these tears were for her, for him: they were for _them_ , that they were together once more, that they could feel each other once more, and he knew:

Kagome was not going to let him out of her sight, ever again.

And he loved that. Fuck, he loved _her_.

“Inuyasha,” she whispered, her fingers entangled in his long silver hair.

“Kagome,” he whispered back, his hips moving against her faster and more frenzied. 

“I...I need you,” she said.

“You’ve got me,” he replied.

“No,” she said, shaking her head, “I _need_ you.” And she ground her hips viciously up and into his, and Inuyasha howled. All the blood was rushing to his dick; he was starting to feel light-headed. It was like everything inside him was being pushed to the brink; Kagome’s soft, throbbing walls were gently squeezing him, in and out, and he was beginning to breathe heavily, trying to keep himself under control. 

“Inuyasha,” she panted, “ _Inuyasha_.” Her body was responding to every pulse, every thrust, every twitch; she felt him growing harder inside of her, and she immediately answered him. She felt a throbbing, a tensing, starting in her core and radiating outward to the rest of her body; the harder he pushed against her, the more she seized up, and the more he growled into her neck, the more she wanted it: the more she wanted _him_. She drew her knees up higher to deepen the angle, and locked her ankles around him so she could rock against him more harshly. Her entire body was singing now; every kiss pushed her further and further to the brink.

“Do it, Kagome,” he panted, nudging her cheek with his nose as he lapped feverishly at her neck. His hips were rocking into her; she was meeting him, thrust for thrust. She both wanted to let go, and to push her body to see how far she could take it—how far the high would go before she exploded like a star across the galaxy. 

“Now, koishii.” His voice was deep, and husky, and firm. His cock soared inside of her, and Kagome couldn’t hold on any more. She bellowed his name and locked her ankles around him tightly as she came, her body sucking him in and holding him in place. Inuyasha felt her grip his dick tightly, and just two more thrusts later, he was following her into oblivion, his entire body quivering as he emptied into the condom. Kagome sighed, wishing that she could feel him for real, but knowing they had a long way to go (and a lot of talking to do) before that decision was made. 

But still...if only she could.

Inuyasha withdrew from her and peeled off the condom, dropping it into the trash beside the bed. He rolled onto his back and pulled her in close. They lay that way for awhile, enjoying the feel of their bodies intertwined, basking in the warm glow of their love. Inuyasha closed his eyes, Kagome’s form snuggled into his side, one arm and one leg thrown over his body. 

“I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you,” she whispered back.

He sighed and rubbed his nose in her hair, trying to imprint her scent—how she now smelled of them both. He...he wanted to keep that with him, even after she was gone.

“Oh, Inuyasha,” Kagome said, as though she could read his thoughts, “who said anything about me going _anywhere_ without you?”

Inuyasha shook his head, bringing himself out of his reverie and back into reality. “What—what are you talking about?” he asked her disbelievingly. 

She unwrapped herself from him and propped up her head on one hand, her elbow digging into the mattress. “Why…why do you think I’m here?” she asked.

He shrugged. “You knew I was lonely? You missed me?” His fanged smirk was back. “Because I sure as _fuck_ missed you.”

Kagome leaned forward and kissed him lightly; he sighed at the delicate imprint of her lips on his. “I missed you too,” she told him. “But that’s not why I’m here.” 

“Then why _are_ you here?” His face reflected his confusion. 

“To bring you home.” Inuyasha’s head snapped up at that, his golden eyes burning into her dark gray ones. He saw her face: serious, determined, firm.

“You—you’re not kidding.” His tone was flat.

“I’m not.” She was still firm, but her voice was soft.

When he growled and turned away from her to face the wall, ripping himself out of her grip, Kagome leaned forward and encircled his chest with her arms and wrapped her legs around his. He was now fully surrounded by her, and he couldn’t escape, even if he tried. 

“I—I don’t want to leave.” His voice had dropped considerably in tone, so that he was now very quiet. Kagome almost couldn’t hear him.

“This isn’t about what you want, Inuyasha,” she breathed into his ear. “This is about what you _need_.” She hugged him tighter. “This—this isn’t the place for you. These past months, I have been _so worried_ about you! I haven’t been able to eat; I haven’t been able to sleep. All I’ve been able to do is think about _you_ , and what you’ve been doing, and why I haven’t been able to reach you, and why you’ve been so abrupt with me. And now that I’m here, I can _feel_ how sad you are, how unhappy you are, even though you’re happy to see me.

“So,” she continued, still hugging him tightly, “can you tell me about what’s been going on?”

He growled and shook his head, still refusing to face her.

Kagome sighed. “Well,” she said, withdrawing her body from his, “I came all this way, and you can’t even talk to me? You can’t even tell me what’s been going on with you? I just spent...I don’t even want to tell you how much I spent,” she added, “but I will if it will guilt you into telling me why you are so unhappy.” When he _still_ was unresponsive, she got up from the bed. “Should I go home then, Inuyasha?” she asked him. “Should I leave? Was this just a six thousand mile booty call to you? Because that’s not all this was to me.”

“What the _fuck_ , Kagome!” he shouted, rolling over and sitting up, “you _know_ this was more than just some booty call! You know how fucking elated I am to see you!”

“Then why won’t you _talk_ to me?” she challenged him. “If you’re so fucking elated to see me, why don’t you want to tell me what’s going on?”

“Because I’m a fucking failure!” he bellowed, then snapped his mouth shut as Kagome’s eyes grew wide with surprise. “Because I’m a fucking failure,” he added, in a much softer tone. His ears drooped; his hair hung limply around his shoulders; his entire body seemed to curl into itself.

Kagome sat back down on the bed and put her arms around him, tucking his head against her shoulder. She could feel him quaking, on the verge of tears, and she held him tightly, afraid that if she eased up on her hold, he would completely come apart.

“It started the first day we got here,” Inuyasha said. “Kaita-sensei took me to a party, and fucking left to talk to other people there. I was alone, and I was the only youkai, let alone the only fucking hanyou.” He laughed bitterly. “A couple of the grad students have tried to talk to me, but I think that there must be some kind of prejudice against hanyou or youkai or something, because I haven’t been able to sense any youki anywhere on campus.”

“Or maybe they’re just disguising it,” Kagome pointed out gently. “Things are, after all, different here in America. Who knows how youkai are treated, and how they might be perceived.”

“The university _seems_ to have a thriving youkai culture,” Inuyasha admitted. “Just not in the history department.”

Kagome sat next to him, holding him, snuggling him, reminding him that he was loved and that he was _wanted_. “Maybe...maybe this place isn’t the best fit for you,” Kagome said softly at last. “I think that if you don’t feel welcome here, if you’ve given it a few months, and if you feel like things are getting worse and not better…”

“They absolutely fucking are,” he said.

“Then I want you to come home with me,” she said firmly. Kagome took his chin between her thumb and forefinger and turned his face to hers. “I want you to come home with me, Inuyasha. Go back to classes; go back to research. I know you won’t be able to teach this semester, but maybe one of the faculty would be willing to take you on as a research assistant. We have to find something for you, because _fuck_ , I am not willing to stand by and let you be really fucking miserable—let _both of us_ be really fucking miserable—for a whole year.” When he tried to look away, she held him more tightly. “No, Inuyasha,” she said forcefully, “ _No_. You are mine, just as much as I am yours. We are in this together. If you’re unhappy, then I’m unhappy. And so, as the other half of the unhappy couple, I am pulling rank.” She kissed him. Hard. “We’re going home as soon as we can get a flight to Narita. We’ll figure everything out from there.”

“But—Kagome—”

“No, Inuyasha,” she said. “No. I’m taking you home, love.”

“But, Kagome,” he tried again.

“I know you feel like you’ve failed, Inuyasha,” she said, “but you haven’t. I promise that you haven’t. And there will be other opportunities, ones where we can check to make sure that they are a good fit for you. A place that celebrates you and appreciates you; a place that doesn’t ignore you.”

He collapsed against her; she felt his body shaking with sobs. Gently, she guided him back down to the bed.

“I can’t leave, ‘Gome,” he said. “If I go home now, if I leave Princeton, then I have failed.” He leapt to his feet, then spun around and faced her. “This is my fucking dream! I made it here, and I don’t want to leave! I need to finish out my year,” he added desperately, “I need to finish out my year, and then come home.”

“But you don’t need to finish out the year,” she pointed out. “You _can_ say, this isn’t working, and that’s okay. You can!”

“But I really can’t, Kagome,” he told her. “I absolutely _can’t_. I can’t just say this isn’t working, and go home! That’s what everyone expects...they expect me to give up.” 

He paused. “Do you know what it’s been like for me? To be the hanyou, the one who is literally in between two worlds, and never fitting into either one, my whole life? To be the outcast, the one that was teased and bullied? The one who got accused of instigating fights? The one who has always had to work twice as fucking hard as everyone else to fit into one world or another, because no one has ever thought I could do _anything_?” He started to pace the bedroom, his eyes full of tears, his face twisted with anger and sadness and desperation. “If I quit now, Kagome? It means that Kaita-sensei took a chance on a hanyou who skipped out as soon as it got hard. And that means that I _have_ to stay, even if it’s hard. Even if I can’t understand half of the conversations in my classes. Even if I can’t teach until next semester, or maybe at all!”

“And even if you’re miserable for the whole year?” she challenged them. “Even if this isn’t what you wanted at all? Wouldn’t you rather have an experience that’s valuable to you, that is actually what you imagined it to be?” 

He growled; he didn’t answer her, and started to pace. His hands tugged in his hair. 

“I—I—I made a commitment, ‘Gome,” he said at last. “I told Kaita-sensei that I would stay the year, and that’s what I absolutely intend to do! Even if I never get to teach; even if all I am doing is reading and reading and taking classes. I have to stay!” His voice got soft and determined. “I have to stay, koishii.” He looked at her, hard. “If I don’t stay, who else will give me a chance? Who else will offer me this kind of opportunity?” His face fell. “That’s why I can’t go back on this commitment, Kagome. Because if I go back on this one, people will wonder if I’m just a dumb hanyou who can’t hack it in America, at the Ivy League level.”

Kagome paused, thinking about how to answer him. “Okay,” she said. “Okay. Let’s say that you stick it out this year. And you’re miserable, and you don’t do well in your classes, and you get to teach, but you don’t do well at that. Because you’re miserable here! What does _that_ say about hanyous? What does _that_ say about their ability to ‘hack it’ at the Ivy League level?” When he didn’t respond, she kept talking. “If you’re miserable, you can’t be the best that you can be. You can’t show everyone that you are totally capable of this work. You need to have the opportunity to thrive in America; this is clearly not the place where that’s going to happen. 

“Come on, Inuyasha,” she added. “As far as I’m concerned, the deal is off. Think about it. You’re totally fucking miserable here. You aren’t happy. Why don’t we go home, and wait a year, or two, and find a university in America where you feel like you fit in. A university where you feel like you can succeed, where you can show off what a hanyou can do. What I _know_ you can do.” When he opened his mouth to argue, she kept going. “I think that if you were happy, if you felt like things were going well, then that would be one thing. But now, you’re not happy. And going home now? It’s not a fail. It’s a reassess. It’s a moment of learning, of reflection.” She got off the bed and stood beside him; she took his hands in hers, and looked deeply in his eyes. “Come home, Inuyasha,” she quietly urged him. “Please. _Please_.”

Inuyasha paused. He looked down at Kagome; her eyes were steely with resolve...and with love. He sighed; he couldn’t deny her, and he couldn’t deny that she was right. 

But he _couldn’t_ give in. He _couldn’t_ go home. Not yet. 

He couldn’t.

“I can’t,” he whispered.

“You can,” she said immediately.

“I _can’t_ ,” he replied.

Kagome stood and gripped his hands in hers. “I love you,” she said openly and simply. “I love you, and I want to be with you. But I also want you to be happy. And if you’re not happy, I’m not happy. And I _want_ you to be happy. I _want_ you to find a place in America that feels like a fit for you. And if that’s not here, then we need to go home so you can finish your coursework, your research, your dissertation, and then find a position in America that is a better match.”

He couldn’t disagree with that point. He couldn’t. Princeton was an amazing opportunity, but a fucking awful fit for him. 

Maybe she was right. Maybe there was another, better, way to do this.

Maybe he could quit now, to try again later. 

“Okay,” he whispered at last. “Okay. You’re right; I can give up now, but it’s not the end. We...we will figure it out.”

“We will,” she said immediately.

“And honestly,” he said, “I—I do want to go home with you. I—I don’t like being without you.”

Kagome kissed him, deeply, meaningfully; they both moaned slightly at the pressure of the kiss. “I love you, so very, very much,” she said. “And I don’t like being without you, either. But also, Inuyasha? More than anything, I want to see you happy. You’re not happy here. You’re not. So yes, come home with me, and we’ll figure out what to do next.”

“Kagome,” he whispered, and she nodded, her eyes shining with love for him. Inuyasha gently led her back to the bed; he laid down and pulled her on top of him. Kagome dropped to his neck and began to gently worry the skin with her teeth. She allowed her body to rub all over his, and as he gave in to her gentle ministrations, the tears still streaming down his cheeks. he knew:

Kagome was there to save him. To help him feel whole. Because they knew each other so fully, so completely, that they always knew just what the other needed. Just like the way that she knew they belonged together, just like the way he read her every little need, no matter how small, he knew that they would always be there for each other. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo...first of all, thanks for reading, so much! I can't tell you how much I am just thrilled and honored that you have liked this little story so much.
> 
> And after reading the comments on Chapter 2, I am wondering: what would you like to see Kagome and Inuyasha do? Should he stay in America, try to make the best of it? Or is Kagome right, that Inuyasha needs to go home and start fresh? I'm thinking of writing an epilogue chapter, but would love to know what you think they should do. So leave me a comment, and let me know! 
> 
> Take care, everyone, and stay safe! 💖


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